MALACAÑANG said on Sunday the country will keep its “long-standing” diplomatic relations with the United States under the administration of President-elect Joseph “Joe” Biden.
This as the international observers are now eagerly awaiting how Biden intends to address the issues which plagued the term of his predecessor, US President Donald Trump.
In a statement on Sunday, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the country will continue its strong cooperation with its traditional international superpower ally.
“On behalf of the Filipino nation, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte wishes to extend his warm congratulations to former Vice President Joseph ‘Joe’ Biden on his election as the new President of the United States of America,” Roque said.
“We are committed to further enhancing the relations with the United States under the Biden administration,” he added.
US President Trump, who is seen to have cordial relations with Duterte, lost his reelection bid in a tight race that reflected how deeply polarized America had become.
Roque earlier said Duterte is open to fostering a similar friendship with Biden.
Good sign
Several Filipino bishops hope the victory of Biden, who is a Roman Catholic, can translate to more pro-life policies in the US.
“If he is a true Catholic he should follow God’s teaching about the sanctity of each human life from conception to natural death,” Apostolic Administrator of Manila Broderick Pabillo said.
Ozamiz Archbishop Martin Jumoad said he hope Biden “will restore morality in the US by outlawing abortion.
“A nation that kills its own children is a nation without hope. Let’s pray for the new President-elect. May the Holy Spirit guide his presidency,” Jumoad said.
Meanwhile, Balanga Bishop Ruperto Santos expects the US will enforce more progressive migration policies under the leadership of Biden.
“We foresee good signs, a relief especially for the so called ‘dreamers.’ Immigrants could be secured citizens, skilled laborers could travel and seek work, and reunification of children separated from their families because of work,” the prelate said.
The Biden leadership will restore closer relations between the US and the Philippines while opening opportunities for Filipinos, and will thus be good for the Philippine economy, in the view of House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Joey Sarte Salceda.
“A Joe Biden [administration] will ease the deadlock on US stimulus talks, which would positively impact the country, as the US is one of our largest trade partners, export markets, and sources of investment,” said Salceda, an economist. The Philippines may also get access to the Covid-19 vaccine under a Biden administration, he added.
“Biden is likely to restore closer relations with traditional US allies such as the Philippines. Biden will likely scale back the ‘America First’ policy on global cooperation, and will return to an emphasis on multilateralism. This bodes well for the Philippines’s access to the Covid-19 vaccine, should it come from the Philippines,” he said.
Salceda added the Biden administration will also be more likely to revert the US to a position of global leadership in international development, saying “there are opportunities for strengthening US-Philippine cooperation in this regard.”
“Biden will also inherit from [former President Donald] Trump the US International Development Finance Corporation, a development finance institution with capital of $60 billion. Biden is likely to use this more aggressively than Trump has to compete with Chinese investment and aid in the Philippines and in Asean in general. This would allow us to get the best of both worlds, and leverage our relations with both powers to get the most favorable rates of financing,” he said.
Biden, Salceda noted, is also more open to multilateral trade deals than Trump has been.
“A shift from Trump’s hardline stance on trade will open opportunities for trade deals with the US. Biden will be starting from a very low base, as far as trade relations with Southeast Asia is concerned. Trump pulled the US out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact on his first day in office. In 2019, he did not even send a senior official to that year’s Asean summit in Bangkok,” he said.
Geopolitics
On geopolitics, Salceda said a reinvigorated US presence in Southeast Asia under a more global-looking Biden presidency is likely to make China more inclined to be on the Philippines’s good side on West Philippine Sea issues, lest we pivot closer to the US.
“This should allow us to seek more favorable terms in all resource extraction ventures in the area,” he said.
On climate change and environmental efforts, the House leader said the Biden administration will likely rejoin the Paris climate accords.
“As the Philippines stands to be a net financial beneficiary of the terms of this agreement, the participation of the world’s largest economy in this international effort will help the Philippines gain more from this agreement. This would also open opportunities for the Philippines to undertake such efforts as monetizing its carbon allowances in arrangements with the US and other highly industrialized polluters,” he added.
Recto’s take
For his part, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto expressed confidence that Manila’s “man in Washington DC,” referring to Ambassador Jose Romualdez, “is well-positioned to help steer our country’s interest through whatever changes a Democratic White Housewould bring to PH-US relations.”
Recto added that “long before he allowed himself to be conscripted for foreign service, Ambassador Babe Romualdez already had enough contacts in the American capital to be considered a Beltway insider.”
Recto added: “Shifting geopolitical tides, changing global trade winds, and a world devastated by the pandemic call for a nimble foreign policy that is solely dictated by our national interest, not pro-Beijing nor pro-Biden, but pro-Filipino.
“I am confident that with Secretary Locsin at the helm of the DFA, and with a capable man in our detachment in Washington DC, what is good for our country in the diplomatic front will always be pursued and protected.
Relief from fascism, divisiveness
Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros, who chairs the Philippine Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, congratulated Biden and Harris for “reawakening a strong sense of purpose among their voting public.”
“This momentous occasion serves as a salve over the world’s wounds from divisiveness and creeping fascism of the last few years,” Hontiveros said. “As a beacon to the world, I would like to thank the people of the United States for showing us that a full-blown authoritarian can be stopped by presenting a clear, forthcoming, and hopeful future for all.”
Stripped of power
Local labor leaders are hoping Biden’s victory will translate to better policies in the US.
Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (Sentro) said result of the US election is a sign that “authoritarianism” such as that of Trump is now losing popularity again in the international community.
“Trump’s defeat is a powerful warning to strongmen like Duterte —people stripped of power will not let them remain in power forever,” Sentro said in a statement.
During his four-year term, Trump implemented controversial policy decisions including the US’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on Climate Change mitigation, tough stance on undocumented migrants, as well as engaging in a trade war with China.
Sentro, however, admitted Biden’s election will not immediately translate into lasting reforms in the US especially since Trump is still supported by many Americans.
“The harder task to rebuild and deepen democracy begins. With more than 70 million popular votes for Trumpism, the next necessary steps to build a wider socio-political base for radical democracy are more daunting,” Sentro said.
The Federation of Free Workers (FFW) expects Biden’s presidency will, at least, lead to better treatment to workers in the US, especially as its economy reels from the effects of Covid-19.