MANILA, PHILIPPINES: With a towering warship behind him, President Barack Obama says the US will hand over two ships to the Philippine Navy to boost its maritime security capabilities, in a bid to show the US and its allies won't be cowed by China in disputed waters far off its coast.

Obama says the pair of ships — one US Coast Guard cutter, one research vessel — were part of a broader American plan to scale up assistance to naval forces in Southeast Asia. Coastal nations in the region feel threatened by China's aggressive moves to assert control over the South China Sea.

Obama says the US has an "ironclad commitment" to the Philippines — a US treaty ally — and a mutual commitment to free and safe navigation at sea.