Marcos meets with SecDef Hegseth in D.C.

Washington D.C., USA — President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. met with United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon on Monday, ahead of his scheduled bilateral meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Hegseth welcomed Marcos with an enhanced honor cordon, a ceremonial military reception traditionally held for high-ranking officials and dignitaries.

The Philippine delegation included Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro, Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro, and National Security Adviser Eduardo Año. Also present were Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez and US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson.

Marcos arrived at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Sunday afternoon for a three-day official visit to the United States.

According to Romualdez, the meeting between Marcos and Hegseth focused on strengthening existing defense and security cooperation between the Philippines and the US However, he clarified that no major defense agreements are expected to be signed during the visit.

The primary agenda for Marcos' trip remains addressing the 20 percent tariff imposed by the Trump administration on Philippine goods entering the U.S., a measure scheduled to take effect on 1 August.