Marcos says he had ‘friendly, productive’ phone call with Trump

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

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday said he had a “friendly” and “productive” call with US President-elect Donald Trump, where he expressed the Philippines’ desire to further deepen the ties between the Philippines and the US.

“It was a very good call, it was a very friendly call, very productive. And I’m glad I was able to do it. I think President-elect Trump was happy to hear from the Philippines,” Marcos said in an ambush interview in Virac, Catanduanes.

According to Marcos, the call with Trump was scheduled for the morning of Tuesday.

READ: Marcos extends congratulations to Trump, eager to strengthen PH-US ties

“We continued to talk about the relationship between…the alliance between the US and the Philippines, and I expressed to him our continuing desire to strengthen that relationship between our two countries, which is a relationship that is as deep as it could possibly be,” Marcos said.

Marcos said he also reminded Trump that the majority of the Filipinos in the US voted for him, expressing hope that the new US president will remember it.

“I’m sure he’ll remember that when we meet, and I plan to meet with him as soon as I can; he said he’ll probably be in the White House already when I do,” said Marcos.

READ: Marcos: No change in PH-US ties under Trump

When asked if he discussed the topic of Filipino immigrants in the United States with Trump, President Marcos clarified that the call was purely “congratulatory.”

“We didn’t talk about that, it was just a congratulatory talk, but of course our ambassadors are already working on it,” said Marcos.

In a post on his social media, Marcos congratulated Trump again, saying the Filipino-American support he garnered is a “testament to the deep and enduring friendship between” the US and the Philippines.

“I look forward to working closely with you to further strengthen our ties and promote peace, stability, and prosperity across the Indo-Pacific region. Mabuhay!” he added.