American officials say they have gotten no formal notice from Manila following Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's announcement of a "separation" from the United States.
"We have not received any official requests from Filipino officials to alter any of our many issues where we bilaterally cooperate," White House spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters.
"It is inexplicably at odds with the very close relationship that we have with the Filipino people, as well as the government there on many different levels, not just from a security perspective," said State Department spokesman John Kirby. "We are going to be seeking an explanation of exactly what the president meant when he talked about separation from the U.S."
The State Department said Assistant Secretary Daniel Russel would visit Manila from Saturday through Tuesday. Kirby called the trip a a "long-scheduled, long-planned" visit.
Following high-level talks with Chinese leaders in Beijing, the Philippine leader announced a military and economic separation from the United States.