Manila: The United States Department of State on Saturday confirmed that Secretary Marco Rubio will travel to Manila on July 19 to 23 to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meetings. According to Nam News Network, the State Department in a statement said the US top diplomat will use the trip to both demonstrate the tangible results of US-ASEAN partnership and to deepen the US comprehensive partnership with the Philippines. The Secretary's visit advancesa clear U.S. priority: a free and open Indo-Pacific that delivers safety, security, and prosperity for the region and for the American people, it said. Rubio will attend the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference, the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers Meeting, and the ASEAN Regional Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting. He will also meet with senior government officials from Indo-Pacific countries, the State Department said. Rubio is among the foreign ministers traveling to the Philippines for the ministerial meetings the Phil ippines is hosting as this year's ASEAN chair.