MANILA, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said her talks with U.S. President Barack Obama in the White House will focus on strengthening cooperation to fight terrorism as she left here for Washington on Wednesday.

    Arroyo said in a departure statement that peace and security issues would be the top agenda.

    The Philippines is plagued with decades-old insurgency in the Muslim-dominating region of Mindanao. The situation is complicated by the radical Islamic militant group -- the Abu Sayyaf and the infiltration of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) operatives, both blamed for a string of bloody terrorist attacks in the region in the past few years.

    The U.S. government tagged the 300-member Abu Sayyaf as a foreign terrorist organization and has been deploying hundreds of non-combatant soldiers to Mindanao since 2002 to help Filipinos contain the terrorist threats. But the seemingly open-ended U.S. military presence in the Philippines is frequently questioned by the administration critics.

    "The U.S. has helped train our military to be more professional and effective," Arroyo defended the controversial cooperation in the statement. "The U.S. has been a key ally in advancing 'soft' power by helping build schools, roads and bridges and building up our local economy through U.S. development assistance in Mindanao and across the nation."

    Arroyo said the U.S. is "essential" to the economic, diplomatic and national security of the Philippines and her U.S. visit is aimed to advance the country's interest with its "strongest friend and ally."

    She said the decision of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to pick Asia as her first destination in her new role, also sends strong signals that Washington is committed to a new, more robust engagement with the region.

    The Philippines is one of the closest Washington allies in Asia. The U.S. is the Philippines' largest source of military aid.

    President Arroyo is expected to hold talks with Obama on July 30. The president is also expected to meet with members of the U.S. House ways and means committee, the leaders of the RP-US Friends Caucus, and Nevada Senator Harry Reid, before she returns home on August 3.