Marcos meets with US lawmakers in Malacañang

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. meets with members of the United States Congressional Delegation (CODEL) in Malacanang Palace on August 8, 2024. (PHOTO BY YUMMIE DINGDING / PPA POOL

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. met with members of the US Congressional Delegation (CODEL) in Malacañang and expressed his thanks for their support to the US-Philippines alliance.

The Presidential Communications Office (PCO), in a statement on Friday, said Marcos met the members of the US CODEL, led by Rep. Michael McCaul (Republican-Texas), Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and Chairman Emeritus of the House Committee on Homeland Security, during a Palace courtesy call on Thursday.

McCaul was accompanied by Rep. Addison Graves Wilson (Republican, 2nd district of South Carolina) of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. 

“The fruits of those partnership[s], of those alliance[s] that we are now forming to face up to these new challenges that we really had before are, I think, is very true although we are [coming] from resolution at least to manage the situation,” the PCO quoted Marcos as saying.

“Again, on behalf of the Philippines, we express our gratitude for all the United States has done and continues to do in support of our alliance and to strong adherence for the Philippines,” he added.

McCaul, for his part, also thanked the President for the Philippines’ support to the US and praised Marcos for his speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore last May.

“The supplemental (appropriation) is very important, we see Israel, see Ukraine, see Indo-Pacific—three areas in the world, three regions [receiving] attack from tyrannical governments. We see President Putin and President Xi made an alliance in Beijing,” McCaul said, noting that the US makes sure that the Philippines is included in the Foreign Military Financing.

The PCO said the US lawmakers also expressed interest in hearing the Philippines’ views and concerns about China and what the US can do to support its assertion of its sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea—but did not elaborate on how the discussion went. The Philippines and the US have had formal diplomatic relations since July 4, 1946.

The Philippines remains the US’ longest and only treaty ally, with bilateral defense and security engagement remaining as key components of its bilateral relations,  carried out within the framework of the Mutual Defense Treaty, the Visiting Forces Agreement, the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, and other bilateral agreements.