US to work with Marcos admin on human rights

MANILA, Philippines — The United States government has expressed its readiness to work with the new Philippine government on key issues, including human rights and rule of law.

“We look forward to renewing our partnership and to working with the next administration on key priorities, including strengthening our alliance; advancing a free, open Indo-Pacific and promoting human rights,” US White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said at a press briefing in Washington on Tuesday.

“We understand that vote tabulation is well underway and that candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stands in the lead, but we’re going to wait for the official call before we have a more formal comment,” she added.

At a separate briefing, US Department of State spokesman Ned Price stopped short of recognizing Marcos’ possible victory in the presidential race, noting that the counting is ongoing and that Philippine election authorities should be the one to declare a winner.

“We’re monitoring the election results and we look forward to renewing our special partnership and to working with the next administration on key human rights and regional priorities,” he said.

“As I said, we look forward to working with the president-elect, once that person is officially named, to strengthen the enduring alliance between the United States and the Philippines,” he added.

Echoing Psaki, Price said they look forward to working with whoever wins the elections “on the shared values and the shared interests that have united our countries across generations.”

“It’s an enduring alliance that is rooted in a long and deeply interwoven history, shared democratic values and interests and strong people-to-people ties between our countries as friends, as partners, as allies,” said the US State Department official.

“We’ll continue to collaborate closely to advance a free and open, connected, prosperous, secure and resilient Indo-Pacific region. We’ll also continue, as I said before, to promote respect for human rights and the rule of law, which is fundamental to US relations with the Philippines and in other bilateral contexts as well,” he added.

On the conduct of the elections, Price noted that the casting and counting of votes “have been conducted in line with international standards and without significant incident.”

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. will be in the US this week to attend the summit organized by US President Joe Biden with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, Locsin will join ASEAN leaders in a number of events during the special summit on May 12 to 13.

The summit tackles issues related to pandemic recovery, health security, maritime security, climate change, clean energy transformation, digital economy, trade and sustainable infrastructure.

The DFA said Locsin’s participation in the summit “will reaffirm the Philippines’ commitment to collaborate with its neighbors and partners for a sustainable post-pandemic recovery and lasting peace and security in the region.”

China congratulates Phl

The Chinese government has congratulated the Philippines and the leading candidates following the conduct of May 9 national and local elections.

“China congratulates the Philippines on the smooth presidential election. Our congratulations also go to the leading candidates,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said during a press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday.

“We hope and believe that various political forces in the Philippines will continue to work in solidarity for national renewal and development,” he added.

Zhao underscored the “long-standing traditional friendship” between China and the Philippines.

“We are good partners for mutually beneficial cooperation and fellow travelers on the road to common development. Under the strategic guidance of our heads of state, bilateral relations have been steadily upgraded. The flourishing relationship has delivered benefits to both peoples and contributed to regional peace and stability,” he said.

“China will continue to work together with the Philippines to stay committed to good-neighborliness and friendship, focus on post-COVID growth, expand win-win cooperation and bring more tangible benefits to both peoples,” he added.

The Chinese official did not raise the issue of territorial dispute between Manila and Beijing over islands and features in the South China Sea, including those within the exclusive economic zone in the Philippines.

Marcos Jr., who is leading the partial and unofficial tally by a huge margin, is expected to pursue closer relations with China if elected president.

Last year, he met with Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian during the unveiling of a new photo wall featuring historic moments between the two countries.

Observers satisfied

Despite reports of vote counting machines (VCMs) malfunctioning, international observers were “satisfied” with the conduct of the May 9 polls, according to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Acting Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiangco yesterday said not only the VCMs, but the entire electoral process were tested and certified by an international entity.

“Not just hardware, not just software but the totality of the electoral process and that includes transmission, even the transmission routers were all tested and certified… that is why the international observers are really satisfied with the elections we had been conducting,” Laudiangco said in English and Filipino.

He made the statement in reaction to the US State Department’s acknowledgement that the Philippine elections followed international standards.