INQUIRER.net stock photo
WASHINGTON, DC, United States — Trade relations between the Philippines and the United States must be “continually revisited” so that both parties could mutually benefit.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. made the statement in a speech he gave at the Blair House here on Monday night (Tuesday in the Philippines) during a dinner hosted by the Philippine Embassy for him, his official delegation, and key US Cabinet officials.
Marcos said US President Joe Biden has been “extremely” supportive of the Philippines in terms of economic transformation, among others.
“I was telling the President [Biden], it’s very hard to categorize the partnership between the PH and the US as one thing. It’s not just in the area of defense maybe now there’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,” he said, as quoted by the Presidential Communications Office.
“But it still needs to be continually revisited so that we can make the most of our friendship and our partnership. And so that is the world as I see it today and the reasons that will come,” Marcos added.
He thanked Biden for his invitation to visit Washington and “gain the opportunity to meet the leaders of the government.”
Marcos also pointed out that his visit to the US was vital, especially during the “turbulent times” in recent US-Philippine relations.
“But similarly to our ambassadors’ friendships, like two friendships, you go to 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.
With the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Marcos said the balance and dynamics in the international scene have been “almost chaotic.”
He said the way to navigate “this troubled water” is to have “strong partners and allies.”
“Since things are so volatile the stability would come from those alliances, those partnerships. And it is a strange thing to come from that situation where you have very polarized the world view, to come from that situation where now we have to look into very different directions all the time,” Marcos said.
He reiterated how a mutual defense treaty must evolve with the changing of the times, making it “extremely important” to be in “constant communication” with the US.
“It is extremely important that we understand what it is we are trying to achieve,” Marcos said.
Among those the US officials who attended the dinner were Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and a trade representative.
Earlier in the day, Marcos and Biden affirmed a series of partnerships aimed at strengthening the alliance of Manila and Washington.
In a joint statement, Marcos and Biden hailed the “remarkable ties of friendship, community, and shared sacrifice that serve as the foundation of the US-Philippines alliance.”