Marcos, US senators discuss defense, climate change

WASHINGTON – President Marcos met with some US senators yesterday to tackle various issues, including defense, agriculture and climate change mitigation and to express his intention to further strengthen the Philippines’ ties with its treaty ally, Malacañang said yesterday.

During the meeting, Marcos, a former lawmaker, said engagements between Manila and Washington should not just take place at the executive branch but also with members of Congress.

He praised the US for its willingness to work with the Philippines “as an equal, sovereign partner” and noted that defense and security engagement remains the “key pillar” of their bilateral relations.

“The President also expressed the Philippines’ intention to deepen cooperation with the US in the areas of supply chain, health and health security, environment, energy security, and interconnectivity,” the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said in a statement.

According to the PCO, Marcos and the senators discussed a wide range of issues that include security, defense, agriculture and climate change mitigation, economic cooperation and cyber security. It did not elaborate on the points raised during the meeting, which was held after Marcos’ engagement with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III at the Pentagon.

The President thanked Sen. Robert Menendez, chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, and other members of the panel for welcoming his delegation to Capitol Hill and for the “frank” and “productive” discussions on the state of bilateral relations between Manila and Washington.

Aside from Menendez, present during the meeting was Sen. James Risch, a ranking member of the Senate foreign relations committee. Also present were Speaker Martin Romualdez, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla and Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual.

Earlier this week, Marcos had separate meetings with US President Joe Biden and US Vice President Kamala Harris to reaffirm the longstanding alliance between the Philippines and the US.

In his previous speeches, Marcos cited the need to strengthen and update partnerships and alliances to enable the Philippines to cope with new challenges.

In a related development, Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink said the US and the Philippines will co-host in Manila the 6th annual Indo-Pacific Business Forum next year with the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA).

Romualdez, meanwhile, stressed the role of the legislature in efforts of the Philippines and the US to strengthen relations.

“We, at the House, welcome the suggestion of President Marcos Jr. that efforts to boost the longstanding bond of friendship between the Philippines and the US should also involve the respective legislative branches of the two countries,” the House leader said.

“We are ready to take up that challenge and we look forward to more engagements with our counterparts in the US in the future,” Romualdez said.

“While the conduct of foreign relations is largely the domain of the executive, engagements between the lawmakers of both countries would be of immense value in, for instance, harmonizing the legal framework governing their bilateral relations,” he pointed out.

“We have actually taken the initiative to move toward the direction suggested by President Marcos,” the Speaker added.

In April, Romualdez, along with several members of the House, flew to the US and met with key congressional leaders to lay the groundwork for the official visit of President Marcos. – Delon Porcalla, Pia Lee-Brago