Marcos says he ''cannot see the Philippines in the future without having the United States as a partner''
As he emphasized the importance of Philippine relations to America, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he "cannot see the Philippines in the future without having the United States as a partner."
"Just earlier today, we had a lunch that was hosted by the US-Philippines Society. And I spoke to them and we talked perhaps more on the subject of geopolitics and explained that it is very clear to me in my vision for the way that the country will move forward that I cannot see the Philippines in the future without having the United States as a partner," Marcos said during his interview with John Tuttle, vice chairman and chief commercial officer of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Monday.
"And although I was referring to the geopolitics of it and I was referring to the political situation in the region and around the world, that certainly does continue to apply in our exchanges in the economic front," he added.
As the US and Philippine relationship is over a hundred years, Marcos noted that many of the drivers of the Philippine economy were American firms.
"Many of the drivers of our early economy were actually American corporations. Many of the strongest corporate benefactors really to government and to the rest of society in the Philippines were coming from the United States," he said.
"Now of course, this has evolved as time has gone on but the strength of that relationship continues. And we envision a further strengthening of those relationships," he added.
Marcos also expressed belief that the "political, economic, diplomatic relations" as well as the partnerships that were forged and strengthened by the two countries "are going to be extremely necessary for providing stability in the highly unstable economic, political, geopolitical, diplomatic environment."
"I cannot overstate really the role that the United States has played in the Philippines in every aspect of our lives. And so this is just a continuing evolution and I believe strengthening that relationship between the United States and the Philippines," he said.
"And we are driven together in many ways by forces that exist now in the world and that I think is something that is not, that we certainly in the Philippines and I think not in the United States either that we are resistant to," he added.
Marcos said the US is the country's third largest trading partner and second major source of foreign direct investment applications in 2021.
"The United States and the Philippines have strong and enduring ties in trade and commerce, among many other areas of cooperation," he said. Robina Asido/DMS
