The Philippines and the United States are “naturally drawn to each other.”
Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. made the remark in a policy speech delivered at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington.
Marcos said the Philippines and the United States are bonded by shared values and commitment to mutual prosperity.
“The future of the United States will hold more promise if the US works closely — hand-in-hand, shoulder-to-shoulder, in lockstep — with the Philippines,” Marcos said.
“Our two countries are drawn to each other because we recognize that in order to achieve our common goal of peace and prosperity for our peoples, we need to work with likeminded partners.”
It is therefore not surprising, according to Marcos, that over the past 20 months, Manila and Washington had seen a steady exchange of official engagements at all levels of government.
“This includes my first meeting with (US) President (Joseph) Biden on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York and this visit, the first by a sitting Philippine president to the United States in over ten years,” Marcos said.
Marcos said the Philippines is poised to achieve upper-middle income country status in one or two years’ time, and is projected to become the 16th largest economy in the world by 2040.
“For more than a hundred million Filipinos, ensuring their economic well-being and uplifting their quality of life has always been the priority of this administration,” he said.
The chief executive said the country continues to work on finding synergies and aligning efforts to sustain economic momentum and secure inclusive development.
This is done, according to Marcos, by “expanding cooperation in key areas” such as agriculture, energy, and infrastructure, to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate and to navigate and manage and global security challenges.
President Marcos described CSIS as one of the world’s foremost policy institutions on national security and foreign policy issues.
He said the CSIS and has been a great partner in highlighting the Philippines to its American and international audience.
Catherine R. Cueto
