PH Pivots Back to US as Marcos, Biden Meet

Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. met United States President Joe Biden at the sidelines of the 77th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, marking a reboot of the Philippine-US relations after “rocky times.”

It was the first time Marcos met Biden, the latter of whom sent a handwritten letter in July to the former to visit the US.

Before meeting Biden, Marcos said that the Philippines is a US partner, ally, and friend.

“We are your partners, we are your allies, we are your friends. And in like fashion, we have always considered the United States our partner, our ally and our friend,” Marcos said.

This marks a pivot from the foreign policy of Marcos’ predecessor, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who chose to lean on China and Russia on the world stage.

Duterte did not step foot on American soil during his six-year term as president.

Marcos emphasized the 100-plus-years of Philippine-American relationship, and that both countries “continue to evolve.”

“The 100-plus-year-old relationship between the Philippines and the US continues to evolve as we face the challenges of this new century and the events that we have been watching over the past few months really. So we have very much to discuss in terms of redefining I suppose in many ways,” he said.

President Biden, acknowledging the state of Philippine-American relations prior to the Marcos administration, said that the relationship of both countries had some “rocky times.”

“We’ve had some rocky times but the fact is it’s a critical, critical relationship from our perspective. I hope you feel the same way,” Biden said.

According to the White House, the two leaders discussed the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) issue.

“The leaders discussed the situation in the South China Sea and underscored their support for freedom of navigation and overflight and the peaceful resolution of disputes,” a White House readout read. (GFB)