Palace confident Trump honoring US pledges to PH

Newly elected 47th US President Donald Trump (L) and President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. | PHOTOS: Official Facebook pages of Donald Trump and Bongbong Marcos

Malacañang is confident that Washington’s commitments to Manila under President Joe Biden will continue under the administration of President-elect Donald Trump.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin told reporters on the sidelines of a defense forum in Taguig City on Wednesday night that the Philippines was ready to work with Trump, who is returning to the White House after winning over Vice President Kamala Harris in the US presidential elections.

“The Philippines and America have a shared history and we have this desire for peace in this region, so I think the commitments will be followed through,” Bersamin said, referring to the Biden administration’s support to the Philippines.

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The Palace official added that there was no need to worry about Washington’s continued assistance in Manila’s position in the West Philippine Sea in the face of Beijing’s growing aggression in the strategic waterway.

“I don’t think we have to worry about that because there is continuity in international relations. We do not see any more problems. We do not see any problem,” he said.

Treaty commitment

Asked if the US support for the Philippines would remain ironclad under Trump, Bersamin said: “Well, the description of ironclad is in the way America reads the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), so we will leave it at that.”

“If they say it’s ironclad, we will be glad to agree with them,” he added.

Under the 1951 MDT, Manila and Washington are committed to come to each other’s defense following an armed attack on either country.

In 2023, Biden said Washington’s defense commitment to Manila is ironclad in the face of Chinese assertiveness in the West Philippine Sea.

In July this year, US Department of State Secretary Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III announced during their visit to Manila that the United States was providing $500 million (P29.2 billion) in military assistance to the Philippines.

Blinken said the United States was allocating an additional $500 million in foreign military financing to the Philippines “to boost security collaboration with our oldest treaty ally in this region.”

Mutual benefits

Austin said Biden had also included in this year’s budget “more than $128 million” to fund important infrastructure projects under Washington’s Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with Manila.

On Wednesday, President Marcos said he is looking forward to working with Trump “on a wide range of issues.”

In a statement, Mr. Marcos congratulated the American people “for their victory in an exercise which showed the world the strength of American values.”

“We look forward to working with President Trump on a wide range of issues that will yield mutual benefits to two nations with deep ties, shared beliefs, common vision, and a long history of working together,” the President said.

Mr. Marcos said he met 78-year-old Trump as a young man and that he is confident that “robust leadership will result in a better future for all of us.”

“This is a durable partnership the Philippines is fully committed to because it is founded on the ideals we share: freedom and democracy,” the President noted.

He added: “I am hopeful that this unshakeable alliance, tested in war and peace, will be a force of good that will blaze a path of prosperity and amity in the region and both sides of the Pacific.”

Senators on Thursday also expressed optimism about the country’s continued good relations with the United States under a second Trump presidency.

Defense alliance

“I cannot foretell what President-elect Trump may or may not do. However, our country’s relations with the US were fairly well under his presidency before, so I am hopeful that his assumption would bode well for our country,” Senate President Francis Escudero said in a message to reporters.

Sen. Loren Legarda is also hopeful that under the new US administration, Manila and Washington can further deepen cooperation, particularly in areas of mutual interest, such as economic resilience, climate action, and regional security.

“Our diplomatic and defense alliance with the United States has long served as a pillar of stability in the Asia-Pacific, guided by shared aspirations for peace, security, and respect for sovereignty,” she said.

“[W]e affirm our commitment to the enduring values that bind our two nations: respect for the democratic process and the will of the people. As a firm advocate for peace and democracy, I respect the continuity of democratic governance in our long-standing ally,” she added.

Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino said he hopes to see under “Trump 2.0” the opening of “a stronger and more dynamic” chapter in the enduring relations between the United States and the Philippines.

“Trump’s focus on revitalizing the American economy should extend to greater stability in global affairs, which should augur well for the Philippines,” he said.

The election of Trump with a clear and commanding mandate, Tolentino said, “should bring healing and stability to the United States, which, in recent years, has been polarized by diverging opinions over politics and the economy.”