Marcos welcomes Blinken to Malacañang

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. welcomes United States (US) Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the Malacañan Palace on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. INQUIRER.net STOCK IMAGE

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday welcomed United States (US) Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the Malacañan Palace.

Blinken, who paid a courtesy call to Marcos, is in the country to discuss security and economic developments with top Philippine leaders.

Special Assistant to the President Secretary Anton Lagdameo Jr., Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez, and Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo were among government officials who joined Marcos in welcoming Blinken to the Palace.

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“We expect to discuss progress in bilateral ties and the shared commitment to further strengthen the [Philippine]-US alliance in pursuit of common interests. We intend to review regional and global developments that have significant implications for our mutual security, economic growth, and shared aspirations,” Manalo said in an earlier statement released through Malacañang.

READ: Blinken, Marcos and Manalo to review US-PH economy, security ties

Blinken’s visit to the Philippines followed the historic high-level US trade mission led by US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

“We will build on the recent discussions with visiting US officials for deeper and greater economic engagement between our two countries, including during last week’s first-ever Presidential Trade and Investment Mission headed by US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo,” Manalo added.