Marcos to seek stronger ties with U.S. — and lower tariffs

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrived here on Sunday (local time) for a three-day official visit, following an invitation from US President Donald Trump.

The aircraft carrying President Marcos landed at 2:48 p.m. (local time) under the scorching sun at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland where he was welcomed by Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez and US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson.

President Trump is set to host a bilateral meeting with President Marcos at the White House, making him the first Southeast Asian leader to visit since the start of Trump’s second term in January.

Marcos then headed to Blair House, the guest house for official government visitors. There he was met by various Filipino human rights groups from across the US who staged a protest.

“He needs to grow a backbone to live up to being the president of the Philippines. He should prioritize the welfare of overseas Filipino workers—I hope this time, he listens to them,” Jom Dolor, deputy secretary general of Migrante USA, told reporters in an interview.

Dolor called on Marcos specifically to safeguard the welfare of Filipinos in the US amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on undocumented migrants.

The group reiterated its call for Marcos to reject any bilateral trade agreement that could place the Philippines at a disadvantage, following the Trump administration’s imposition of a 20-percent tariff on Philippine goods.

In his statement prior to his departure from Manila, President Marcos highlighted the importance of the visit in reaffirming the enduring alliance with the US to reinforce defense and security cooperation, foster greater trade and economic cooperation, and ensure peace and stability in the Southeast Asian region.

Aside from trade and tariffs, Marcos and Trump are also set to discuss the defense and security alliance between the Philippines and the US.

“Essentially, it’s really the reaffirmation of all these agreements that we have with the United States specifically surrounding the Mutual Defense Treaty,” Ambassador Romualdez told reporters.

Romualdez noted that Marcos was keen on bringing up the issue of the West Philippine Sea in his bilateral meeting with President Trump.

“So it will be more on discussions on how we can continue to cooperate with the United States, our major ally,” he said.

“At the same time, I think President Marcos would like to see how we can work with the United States and other countries that have the same mindset as far as the West Philippine Sea is concerned. So it will be on those general subjects of discussion,” he added.

The two leaders are also expected to tackle ways to strengthen the two countries’ economic alliance through the Luzon Economic Corridor—which was unveiled last year during the first trilateral meeting of the Philippines, the US, and Japan.

Marcos is also scheduled to meet with business leaders, particularly from the semiconductor industry.

“Generally, he’ll be talking to the semiconductor industry which is very important to us. It is one of the biggest industries that we have economic ties with in the United States. I think the president of the Semiconductor Association will be meeting with Mr. Marcos,” the Romualdez said.

“And then we have other business leaders, particularly those who have already invested in the Philippines or are planning to expand their investments in healthcare,” he added.