President Bongbong Marcos (left) and US President Joe Biden (right).
MANILA, Philippines—Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said Wednesday the groundwork has been laid for the meeting between President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and US President Joe Biden, adding that the “conditions are right” for the talks.
Next week’s bilateral meeting between the two leaders will be the latest in a series of high-level discussions the Philippines has conducted with leaders of the United States.
“I think the conditions are right for the meeting between President Bongbong Marcos and President Joe Biden. We have high hopes for the exchange of ideas between the two leaders and its outcome,” Romualdez said.
Marcos is set to meet Biden on May 1 to discuss economic cooperation and the Indo-Pacific region. Manila is seeking closer partnerships in agriculture, energy, climate change, digital transformation, humanitarian assistance, supply chains, and infrastructure.
Strong relations
Romualdez expressed optimism the bilateral talks will be fruitful, saying “Relations between our two countries remain strong.”
“Our security alliance under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty is ironclad. Our economic partnership is robust. And the friendship between our two peoples is solid,” he added.
Romualdez said that the Philippines under Marcos “has reintegrated relations with the United States not only to provide peace and stability in our region but also prosperity for our people.”
Marcos’ trip marks his second visit to the US as President, following his attendance at the United Nations General Assembly in New York last September 2022, where he had the opportunity to meet with Biden and other world leaders on the sidelines of the event.
The President and his delegation are set to depart for the US on Sunday, April 30.
The meeting follows a two-week trip by Romualdez to the US, during which he met with American lawmakers, including US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
Clear message
Romualdez said that his meetings with US lawmakers were productive, as the Philippine delegation was successful in delivering their message. They discussed defense, security cooperation, and economic partnership between Manila and Washington, he said.
“Our message to the US legislators was clear. The US-Philippine ties are strong and are reaching new heights and levels of understanding under the administrations of President Marcos and US President Joe Biden. Our defense and security arrangements are solid, and our bilateral strategic partnership is working,” he said.
“However, we also pointed out the need to step up bilateral discussions on economic issues to make the benefits of this dynamic relationship more tangible tenfold for our people. We need to strengthen not only our defense cooperation but also our economic partnership,” he added.
Aside from McCarthy and Scalise, Romualdez’s delegation also talked to US Representatives Young Kim, Mike Rogers, Darrell Issa, Ami Bera, and Chris Stewart.
The Philippine House Speaker was accompanied by Deputy Speaker and Pampanga 3rd District Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr., Majority Floor Leader and Zamboanga City 2nd District Rep. Manuel Jose Dalipe, Navotas City Rep. Tobias Tiangco, Agusan del Norte 1st District Rep. Jose Aquino II, House Secretary General Reginald Velasco, and House Sergeant-at-Arms Napoleon Taas.
US assistance
The Philippines has been receiving substantial defense assistance from the US in terms of training, defense items and equipment, and financial support.
From 2002 to 2021, the country received roughly US$1.8 billion for defense modernization, maritime security, counter-terrorism, anti-narcotics, anti-human trafficking, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear preparedness.
More than 17,000 Philippine and US soldiers are currently conducting their largest-ever joint military drills in the Southeast Asian country. /dam