In this May 09, 2018, photo, US and Philippine marines storm the beach to simulate a raid during the joint U.S.-Philippines military exercise dubbed Balikatan 2018 at the Naval Training Exercise Command, a former US naval base, and facing the South China Sea at San Antonio township, Zambales province. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)
WASHINGTON, DC, United States — The friendship between the Philippines and the United States has endured even the most “turbulent times,” particularly in recent years.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. pointed this out on Monday night (Tuesday in the Philippines) during a dinner hosted at the Blair House here by the Philippine Embassy for the president and his delegation and some key US Cabinet officials.
“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, as quoted by the Presidential Communications Office.
“But between the Philippines and the United States, we have prevailed through all that like a true friendship,” he added.
According to him, the strength of that friendship was due to the two countries having “truly 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.”
Marcos’ processor, Rodrigo Duterte, veered away from the US, even directing strong words against it, and instead enhanced the Philippine ties with China.
In 2020, Duterte ordered the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement which allowed US troops to regularly train with their Filipino counterparts in the Philippines.
Duterte gave the order after the US revoked the visa of his close aide and former police chief, now Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa.