BY ASHZEL HACHERO and JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR
US PRESIDENT Joe Biden called Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to congratulate him on his presidential victory and said he looked forward to strengthening an alliance between the two nations, the White House said yesterday.
Marcos Jr., in turn, invited Biden to attend his inauguration.
“I have also invited President Biden to my inaugural on June 30, which could further fortify the relationship of the two countries,” he said in a statement after their phone conversation around 9 a.m. yesterday (Manila time).
Marcos said he was grateful for the acknowledgement of his win and assured Biden that “the Philippines has always held the United States in high regard as a friend, an ally, and a partner.”
Marcos earlier said his family’s history with the US will not influence his foreign policies.
Marcos has not been allowed to set foot in the US after the American Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 2012 issued a contempt judgment against him, his mother former First Lady Imelda Marcos, and the estate of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. for violating an injunction that barred them from dissipating assets of the estate.
Biden is among the first heads of state to reach out to Marcos Jr. whose landslide win would bring back his family to Malacañang 36 years after the EDSA “People Power” uprising that toppled his father’s two-decade rule and sent the family to exile in Hawaii.
“President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke today with President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines to congratulate him on his election. President Biden underscored that he looks forward to working with the President-elect to continue strengthening the US-Philippine alliance, while expanding bilateral cooperation on a wide range of issues, including the fight against COVID-19, addressing the climate crisis, promoting broad-based economic growth, and respect for human rights,” the White House said in a statement.
The US Embassy in Manila also issued a statement congratulating Marcos Jr., calling him president-elect three days after the May 9 elections.
The embassy’s statement came a day after State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the US is looking forward to working with the next Philippine president and that Washington sees no change in relation with its key ally in the region.
“The United States congratulates President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on his election as the Philippines’ next president. We look forward to working with President-elect Marcos to strengthen the enduring alliance between the United States and the Philippines,” the embassy said.
“We commend the millions of Filipino voters who cast their ballots in this election, and we look forward to the official conclusion of the electoral process for the many offices in the national elections,” it added.
The embassy said it did not see any major change in ties under the incoming administration, adding that the “special partnership” between Washington and Manila is rooted in a long and deeply interwoven history, shared values and interests and strong people-to-people ties.
“As friends, partners, and allies, we will continue to collaborate closely with the Philippines to promote respect for human rights and to advance a free and open, connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient Indo-Pacific region,” the embassy added.
Washington and Manila also have the Mutual Defense Treaty signed in 1951 that pledged both nations to come to each other aid in case of foreign invasion or aggression.
Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian also extended his government’s congratulations to Marcos and his running mate, Sara Duterte-Carpio.
“I had the honor to convey the congratulatory messages from Chinese President Xi Jinping to President-elect Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr. and from Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan to Vice-President-elect Sara Duterte respectively,” Huang said.
He said Beijing is confident that with Marcos and Duterte-Carpio at the helm, the bilateral ties will only grow stronger.
Under the Rodrigo Duterte administration, Manila sought closer ties with Beijing and away from its traditional ally, Washington. But a major irritant in bilateral ties — repeated Chinese incursion in the West Philippine Sea — has not been resolved.
EARLY CHALLENGES
The United States is seeking early engagement with the Marcos Jr. administration, although historical considerations mean there will probably be some initial challenges, the chief US policy maker for Asia said on Wednesday in Washington.
“Time will tell, but our desire will be to get off to a good start,” Kurt Campbell, the White House coordinator for the Indo-Pacific said of Marcos’ decisive victory.
“We are seeking early engagement,” he said. “There are some historical considerations that probably (mean), at least initially, there will be some challenges in that communication.”
The Philippines is a long-standing treaty ally of the United States, but the victory of Marcos, son and namesake of the country’s former dictator, is a potential blow to US efforts to push back against China, Washington’s main strategic rival.
Marcos’ relationship with the US has been complicated by a contempt-of-court order for his refusal to cooperate with the District Court of Hawaii, which in 1995 ordered the Marcos family to pay $2 billion of plundered wealth to victims of Marcos Sr.’s rule.
Marcos has not visited the United States for 15 years, fearful of the consequences of the rulings.
The US State Department and Department of Justice did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday about whether Marcos would be granted diplomatic immunity if he visited, although lawyers and analysts say this would be customary.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States looked forward to working with Marcos to strengthen the “enduring alliance” between the two countries, describing it as a special partnership rooted in a long and deeply interwoven history and shared values and interests.
“As friends, partners, and allies, we will continue to collaborate closely with the Philippines to promote respect for human rights and to advance a free and open, connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient Indo-Pacific region,” Blinken said in a statement.
Campbell, speaking at an event at the US Institute of Peace ahead of President Joe Biden’s summit with Southeast Asian countries on Thursday and Friday, said Washington would seek continued close partnership in the security realm and to increase trade and economic ties.
The Philippines will not attend the summit at the leader level due to its transition.
Campbell said US relations with outgoing President Duterte “really rebounded” toward the end of his term, “at least at the strategic level.”
“Our expectation is we’ll be able to continue to work closely,” he said.
Marcos’ spokesman Victor Rodriguez said the European Union, Japan, Australia, Brunei, Israel, and Bangladesh are among members of the international community that commended the elections and congratulated Marcos.
He said the recognition by the other nations and international groups should be considered by those who continue to refuse to acknowledge Marcos Jr.’s victory and the vote of the more than a majority of Filipinos.
He said the small segment of population has no reason to question results and should respect the electoral process and democratic decision of the majority.
He also said that it is time to end the politicking and the bitterness of those whose candidates lost. He said differences should be set aside and everyone should just work together behind the president-elect and vice president-elect. — With Reuters
