BBM off to US for 5th visit

President Marcos is scheduled to depart for Washington today for an official visit that comes as his administration is negotiating a policy that will slap a higher tariff on Philippine exports entering the American market.

- ALEXIS ROMERO

Marcos' visit from July 20 to 22 will be his fifth to the US, and his 35th overseas trip since becoming president in 2022.

He will be the first Southeast Asian head of state to be invited to visit the US since President Donald Trump took office this year, in a development seen as a reflection of the two countries' longstanding alliance and shared history.

While the Philippines is a traditional ally of the US, it is among the countries to be hit by the Trump administration's higher tariffs, a policy that the American leader said would address trade disparities that pose a "major threat" to Washington's economy.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has confirmed that the tariff regime, which seeks to impose a 20 percent tariff on Philippine exports to the US, would be among the topics to be discussed during Marcos' bilateral meeting with Trump.