The President conveyed his congratulations to the newly elected President of the Republic of the Philippines, Benigno Aquino III, in a phone call this morning.  The President described the May 10 elections as a model of transparency and positive testament to the strength and vitality of democracy in the Philippines.  He noted the deep historic and people-to-people ties between the United States and the Philippines and our strong cooperation on security and economic issues in the Asia Pacific region and globally.  The Philippines is a long time ally and close friend of the United States.  The President and President-elect Aquino said they looked forward to bringing our cooperation to a new level and to meeting at a mutually convenient time.