MANILA, May 20 (Islamonline.net & News Agencies) - A number of officials and analysts expected Tuesday, May 20, that U.S. President George Bush’s decision to grant Philippines a full U.S. military ally status will likely help the Asian country crack down on "terrorism".

After talks with President Gloria Arroyo at the White House Monday, May 19, Bush promised to make the Philippines a non-NATO ally of the United States, clearing the way for increased U.S. military loans, cut-price U.S. military equipment and other military benefits.

"That will prop up the war against ‘terror’ in the Philippines if we get those (military aid) packages on time," said congressman Prospero Pichay, head of the House defense committee.

"We need it very badly. If they can deliver to us as soon as possible then that will really help deliver a big blow to the enemy," Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted him as saying.

The Philippines only has 18 helicopters and two OV-10 attack planes as well as six helicopter gunships and two C-130 transport planes. "We don't have much equipment," Pichay admitted.

Military vice chief of staff Lieutenant General Rodolfo Garcia underlined, for his part, that "this is a most welcome development for us, particularly the armed forces.

"This would translate into added assistance in the economic and military levels."

Although the two countries have long been military allies, many Filipinos feel the country was not getting enough U.S. attention as a frontline state in the so-called war on terror.

"People have been complaining here about the type of military packages we were getting: night vision goggles and small arms," said Joey Silva, associate director of the Asian Institute of Management policy forum, a local think-tank.

"It's definitely a positive note. We are now on the map as a major partner (of America) rather than before when we were just something small on the radar screen," he remarked.

Arroyo also obtained from Bush a pledge of a new joint military effort to ‘finally crush’ the Abu Sayyaf, a group of rebels suspected to have links to al-Qaeda.

Bush offered her 30 million dollars in new aid for training and equipping the Philippine military.

As a special ‘non-NATO’ ally, the Philippines would be given priority in receiving excess U.S. military surplus, allow it to stockpile equipment and make it eligible to participate in research and development programs, the U.S. embassy said.

Other countries that enjoy similar status are Australia, Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Argentina, South Korea and New Zealand.

The Philippines is the first Southeast Asian country to get this status.

Apart from the Abu Sayyaf, the Philippine military is also struggling with the communist New People's Army (NPA), the 9,000-strong guerrilla arm of the underground Communist Party of the Philippines waging a decades long insurgency.

Washington has labeled the Abu Sayyaf and the NPA as terrorists while the (MILF) has been accused of having ties with the Jemaah Islamiyah, which in turn is allegedly linked to al-Qaeda.

Arroyo's decision to back the U.S. when it launched its anti-terror war had drawn flak from nationalist groups, which accused her of being Uncle Sam's lapdog.

It had also led to a sharp drop in her popularity, forcing her to back out from presidential elections next year.