Obama Arrives Manila to Theme of “Beverly Hills Cop”
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Official White House Photo by Pete Souza(MANILA, Phillipines) — Move over “Hail to the Chief,” the official musical flourish for President Obama in the Phillipines just might be the theme song to “Beverly Hills Cop.”
A local ceremonial band hammered out the tune on xylophones and tooted from long cylindrical instruments as Obama and Philippines President Beningo Aquino walked the red carpet to the Malacanang Palace.
Obama’s first official visit to this country comes as the last stop on a weeklong, four-nation Asian tour. He arrives as the White House announced a 10-year agreement to expand the U.S. military presence there and increased military-to-military coordination.
While officials have not said how many U.S. troops will rotate through the Philippines or when they will arrive, the deal is a significant strategic development more than two decades after US military bases here were shut down.
“Greater cooperation between American and Filipino forces would enhance our ability to train, exercise and operate with each other and respond even faster to a range of challenges, including humanitarian crises and disasters like Typhoon Yolanda,” Obama told ABS-CBN News in a written interview with the Philippine newspaper. “It would also help the Philippines continue to build its defense capabilities, and it would help us promote security cooperation across the region.”
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