Philippine and US military officials will meet late next month and decide the fate of decades-old joint exercises, amid doubts over the future of the security alliance and a stream of mixed messages from Manila.
The meeting, an annual get-together to plan events for the year ahead, could bring some clarity to a Philippine position muddied by President Rodrigo Duterte's pronouncements about ending an alliance that he says has little value, contrary to the opinions of some military commanders.
"The meeting was supposedly on October 24, but it was moved to November 24 because they (Philippine military) wanted it after the US elections," said a Philippine army general, who did not want to be identified as he was not authorised to speak to the media.
The US election is on November 8.
"As of now, we really don't know what military exercises will be stopped, because the president has not made any specific instruction."
Duterte on Wednesday reiterated his intent to revise or cancel crucial security pacts and scrap war games that military officials maintain are pending a review.
His repeated outbursts against the United States have raised worries in Washington about the future of an alliance that is important to US efforts to project power in Asia in the face of fast-rising China.
The Pentagon declined comment when asked about the meeting but a spokesman said it would be seeking clarification of Duterte's comments, "through direct dialogue".
