PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. gave assurances the Philippines will remain an ally of the United States in maintaining peace in Asia.
Marcos made the commitment during his meeting with US President Joe Biden last Thursday.
“We continue to look to the United States for that continuing partnership and the maintenance of peace in our region, in terms of the geopolitical issues that we face in this day and age,” Marcos said.
The President also thanked the US for its continued support to the Philippines especially during the pandemic when it donated almost 36 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine to the Philippines.
He said he hopes the strong partnership between the country and the US will continue despite the “complexities that have arisen in the past few months.”
Marcos’s predecessor, former President Rodrigo R. Duterte, issued anti-US statements during his term especially after some American lawmakers called him out for the mounting fatalities in the government campaign against illegal drugs at that time.
He also announced the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement between the two countries, but later recalled the decision.
During his administration, Marcos said he intends to continue the country’s over a century old bilateral relationship with the US.
The two allies have a Mutual Defense Treaty which has undergone review the past several years.
Image credits: Troi Santos