United States Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson expressed confidence Wednesday in the alliance between Washington and Manila regardless of the results of the US presidential election.
“I am very confident about the future of the US-Philippines relations, Carlson said in an interview with reporters at the sidelines of the US Embassy in Manila’s presidential election watch party in Makati City.
“As friends, partners, and allies we have a lot to celebrate and there's a very strong bipartisan support in the United States for this relationship,” she added.
Americans are currently casting their votes between incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump, who is seeking a political comeback at the White House.
Carlson also echoed earlier remarks of her Filipino counterpart, Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose “Babe” Romualdez, about the US’ ironclad commitment to the Philippines.
“We have been through a lot of transitions. In my 39 years in the State Department, I have witnessed transitions from Republican to Democrat, to Republican, and back and forth, and I am extremely confident that US-Philippines relations will remain steadfast,” she said.
She added: “We will remain steadfast friends and ironclad allies as well as partners in prosperity no matter who wins the elections in the United States today.”
Indo-Pacific Region
Likewise, Carlson emphasized that the bipartisan support of the US for the Philippines, particularly to the geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific Region, would continue.
She noted that it was evident in the ongoing projects of the Biden administration to the Philippines as well as the US support for the 2016 Arbitral Ruling on the Sourh China Sea that cemented Manila’s rights over the West Philippine Sea during Trump’s administration.
“So, there's bipartisan support even beyond strictly the US Philippines relationship here,” she said.
“Yes, there are nuances that will change in any given administration, but the strength of the US-Philippines and the importance of the Indo-Pacific to the American people will remain,” she added.
She continued: “That is why I am confident that whoever wins the presidential elections today, we will continue to see very strong bipartisan support not only for US-Philippines relations but for relationships in the Indo Pacific and globally.”