US VP Harris supports maintaining US-PH ties
US Vice President Kamala Harris emphasized the importance of maintaining the steadfast support of the United States for the Philippines, particularly in light of China’s continued aggression in the West Philippine Sea.
“Indeed, and I will tell you from my first visit to Manila and our first conversation, it is extremely important to me and to the United States that we reaffirm the commitment to the defense of the Philippines including the South China Sea,” Harris told Marcos during the two leaders’ phone call late Tuesday.
The call between Harris and Marcos came after a trilateal phone conversation involving US President Joe Biden and Japan Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru on Monday.
Harris reflected on her visit to the Philippines, especially her trip to Palawan in November 2022, which she said underscored “the vulnerability in the region.”
She noted the visit strengthened President Biden’s resolve to support the Philippines in terms of both security and prosperity.
“I know there is bipartisan support within the United States Congress and within the US for the strength of this relationship and the enduring nature of it in terms of security, but again prosperity and to your point of people-to-people ties,” Harris told Marcos.
In response, Marcos expressed gratitude for the US Vice President’s sentiments, highlighting the robust and productive partnership between the Philippines and the United States.
“Madame Vice President, before I came to this call I was going through all of the things that we had discussed in the past couple of years. And it is remarkable how much work we have been able to do and how much it has progressed and developed the relationship between our two countries. Already very strong relationship but evolving and evolving for the modern challenges that we face, both for us and the South China Sea and for the United States around the world,” Marcos said.
“As I told President Biden when I spoke to him, I said that, I remember … just before we signed the trilateral agreement in Washington, that, I said to President Biden that this will change the dynamic of the South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific. And it certainly has done that,” he added.
Marcos also emphasized the ties among the Philippines, the US and Japan have gained recognition within ASEAN, strengthening their collective position on pressing issues in the West Philippine Sea.
He further acknowledged Vice President Harris’ significant contributions to the Philippines, stating that her efforts have provided a strong foundation for continued collaboration between the two nations.
The President particularly noted the economic, diplomatic, defense and security levels, which he described as “terribly encouraging.”
Marcos said he hopes “to build on that and continue to work” on what the two nations have begun grounded on shared values and international law.
Before the telephone call concluded, Marcos invited Harris to visit the Philippines again. Presidential News Desk
