Marcoleta cites weak Phl position to U.S. peer

Senator Rodante D. Marcoleta voiced serious concerns over what he described as the Philippines’ “disadvantageous position” in its economic and security relations with the United States (US) during a recent meeting with visiting US Senator Rick Scott. 

In a television interview on Saturday, Marcoleta revealed that he directly confronted Scott — an influential Republican senator and ally of former US President Donald Trump — about the minimal concessions given to the Philippines under the Trump administration’s reciprocal tariff adjustments.

“The Philippines did not gain any headway in the reciprocal tariffs, because we were given just a single percentage discount — from 20 percent to 19 percent — by the US,” Marcoleta, who chairs the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce, and Entrepreneurship, said.

He noted that while the Philippines saw only a marginal drop, other ASEAN nations enjoyed far more favorable reductions. 

Indonesia got better deal

Marcoleta mentioned that Indonesia was previously at 32 percent and is now also at 19 percent, while Vietnam went from 46 percent to 20 percent.

“Their gains were significantly better compared to ours,” he stressed.

The senator also criticized the application of uniform tariff reductions, arguing that such a “sweeping, across-the-board” approach fails to account for the unique economic conditions and vulnerabilities of the Philippines, particularly its export sector. He pointed out that Filipino semiconductor exporters remain especially impacted.

On the security front, Marcoleta turned to the 1951 Philippines-US Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), citing persistent imbalances in the long-standing alliance. 

Referencing Article 2 of the MDT, which calls for both nations to develop their collective capacity to resist armed attack, Marcoleta said the Philippines has not seen proportional benefits from the pact.

“To more effectively… achieve the objective of this Treaty, Parties separately and jointly by self-help and mutual aid will maintain and develop their individual and collective capacity to resist armed attack,” he said.