Marcos: Philippines-US ties rising above ‘turbulent times’

WASHINGTON, Philippines — The longstanding relationship between the Philippines and the United States might have had “turbulent times,” but theirs is a bond that overcomes challenges because of a mutual understanding of their roles and values, President Marcos said.

Speaking at a dinner hosted by the Philippine embassy at Blair House last Tuesday, Marcos compared the treaty partners’ relationship to friendships tried by misunderstandings.

“You go through turbulent times when there are misunderstandings, when there are difficulties, when other forces prevail upon both sides of the partnership,” Marcos said.

“But between the Philippines and the United States, we have prevailed through all that like a true friendship. And the reason for that, I believe, is that we truly have come to an understanding as to how we believe certain values and what is important, and our role in the world and that has never really been diminished,” he added.

Marcos did not elaborate on the “turbulent times” between the Philippines and the US, which have been treaty partners since 1951. However, bilateral ties soured during the time of his predecessor, former president Rodrigo Duterte, who at one point declared the Philippines’ “separation” from the US.

But Duterte warmed up to the US at the height of the pandemic, thanking the US government for supplying the Philippines with COVID-19 vaccines.

Marcos said trade relations and partnerships between the two countries must be “continually revisited” to be mutually beneficial.

“I was telling the President, it’s very hard to categorize the partnership between the Philippines and US as one thing. It’s not just in the area of defense; maybe now that’s a prominent one that we hear about but in terms of trade, in terms of education, in terms of culture, in terms of people-to-people as it has come to be known, all of these things have been going on for a hundred years,” Marcos said, recalling his meeting with US President Joe Biden at the White House last Monday.

“But it still needs to be continually revisited so we can make the most of our friendship and our partnership… That is why I am very grateful for the invitation of President Biden to come to Washington, DC and gain the opportunity to meet the leaders of the government,” he added.

Marcos reiterated that the Mutual Defense Treaty signed by Manila and Washington in 1951 should evolve because of changes in the environment.

“We are surrounded with changes and we must evolve with that. Therefore it is extremely important that we have these interactions, it’s extremely important that we are in constant communication. It is extremely important that we understand what it is we are trying to achieve,” he said.

In a meeting with Marcos at the United States Naval Observatory last Tuesday, US Vice President Kamala Harris cited the importance of further expanding the two countries’ security, economic and people-to-people ties.

”The Vice President and President Marcos also discussed strengthening the US-Philippines economic partnership and noted President Biden’s plan to dispatch a Presidential Trade and Investment Mission to the Philippines to grow investment between our countries,” the White House said in a statement.

The Presidential Communications Office said Marcos and Harris committed to boost work on digital inclusion, clean energy, economy and security.

”During my visit to the Philippines, we discussed many issues including the importance of a clean energy economy. You and I share a passion for that... As well as issues that relate to food security and what we must do around digital inclusion,” she said.

“And on the issue of security of course, the work that our countries are doing together as it relates to the South China Sea, as it relates to what we must do in terms of continuing to work together through our Coast Guards,” she added.

Also last Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized the importance of Filipino-Americans, calling them “a fundamental part of the fabric of the United States.”

He also talked about the role of Filipinos in international relations, citing one of his most senior officials in the State Department, Michele Sison, the assistant secretary for international organizations

The US-Philippines Society, a group of Filipino and American civic and business leaders, also met with Marcos last Tuesday and vowed to pursue greater cooperation on the Philippine economy and development initiatives.

Former US ambassador to the Philippines John Negroponte and Filipino business tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan serve as co-chairs of the society.

Marcos expressed hope that he would see more engagements involving the government and the private sector, especially in mobilizing financial resources for investments in key areas. He said he was pleased with the significant progress that Manila and Washington have made toward boosting their security alliance.

“Yes now, prominent are the security and defense issues, but if you look at what we do in partnership, in coordination with the United States and there’s no sector that isn’t touched by that partnership,” he said.

Meanwhile, Speaker Martin Romualdez expressed confidence that American companies looking to expand in Southeast Asia would find it favorable to invest in the Philippines given its “young and growing workforce.”

“The Philippines has a lot to offer foreign investors, including a young and growing workforce, a strategic location and a favorable business environment,” said Romualdez, who called this time a “sweet spot” for achieving the country’s goal of inclusive growth. – Delon Porcalla, Pia Lee-Brago, Michael Punongbayan