MANILA, Philippines – United States (US) Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. at the Malacañang Palace on Saturday morning.
US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson was also among those present during the US official’s courtesy call at the Palace, where the US officials vowed to further bolster ties between the US and the Philippines.
“I hope that we will continue to evolve that relationship in the face of all the changes we have been seeing, and the changes that are between our bilateral relationship with the [US],” Marcos said during the courtesy call.
(Photo courtesy of MPC pool)
Blinken, meanwhile, said he considers the relationship shared by both nations as “quite extraordinary, because it is really founded in friendship, it’s forged as well in partnership, and it’s strengthened by the fact that it’s an alliance as well.”
He later added: “We meet in so many other areas. The work we do together matters. It matters to people back home in the [US], and what I hope you believe matters to people here in the Philippines. So, I’m grateful for this opportunity to deepen everything that we’ve been doing. We’re grateful to be working with you in your administration.”
Blinken, upon his arrival in the country on Friday night, bared his hopes to strengthen the US-Philippine relations, and reaffirm their “shared commitments to democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and prosperity” during his first visit in the Philippines under the new administration.
Blinken flew to Manila from Cambodia where he spoke about the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, Myanmar, and the war in Ukraine during the 55th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Ministers’ Meeting.
He is also scheduled to visit South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda.