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Filipinos Want "US Troops Out" As Blinken Gives $500 Million To Modernise Philippines Military US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with their Filipino counterparts, Enrique Manalo and Gilberto Teodoro on July 30. The leaders met at the military headquarters in Manila amid tensions with China over resource-rich South China Sea islands. The United States will provide $500 million in military funding to the Philippines, Blinken announced. The funding will be used to aid an ongoing modernisation of the Philippine military and coast guard, and boost security collaboration amid concerns over China’s assertive actions. $125 million would be used for improvements in areas within Philippine military bases to be occupied by US forces, Manila’s Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez said.