Marcos, Trump talks reinforce PH-US strategic alliance

The talks between President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and US President Donald Trump have advanced the frontiers of the two countries' strategic alliance.

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Evidently, there was good chemistry between the two leaders. Facing White House media, they shared highlights of their conversation and contextualized these in light of the evolving geopolitical dynamics.

President Trump affirmed that both countries were “very close to finishing a trade deal — big trade deal, actually,” adding that this bodes well in terms of “a lot of income coming in for both (countries).” It was ascertained later that he agreed to a reduction in the US’ tariff on Philippine exports from 20 percent to 19 percent — a disappointment for those who are advocating for long-term market access beyond the traditional product lines.

President Marcos observed that “the United States is our only treaty partner in the Philippines and that has stood us in good stead over the years. He also emphasized: “The cultural memory of all Filipinos is that our strongest, closest, most reliable ally has always been the United States.”