MANILA -- The US government asserted on Wednesday (US time) its strong treaty commitment to the Philippines under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. as long as President Joe Biden remains its chief executive.
In a press conference with the Philippine media delegation during the visit of President Marcos to the US, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said the Filipino people can count on the support of President Biden.
“For as long as President Biden is the president of the United States, the Philippines can count on him and his team’s full support from proving our bilateral relationship and for meeting our commitment, our treaty commitments to the Philippines,” Kirby told the reporters.
Kirby made the remarks when asked if the US government can assure the Philippines of continued alliance even on the possibility of a leadership change in the coming November elections.
“What I can assure you and Philippine people, and of course, President Marcos and his team, is that as long as President Biden is commander-in-chief, as long as he is the President of the United States, we will continue to work hard of this relationship,” he said.
Kirby added the US government will do everything it can to sustain its good relationship with the Philippines amid China’s aggressive moves in the South China Sea.
“All by itself is so important, and then you throw it in, when you are able to look at things like trilateral, quadrilateral cooperation, it becomes all the more relevant particularly when we look at what is going on in the South China Sea,” he said.
The US government official sat before the Philippine media delegation to discuss the bilateral meeting between President Marcos and President Biden, and the historic trilateral meeting on Thursday between the two presidents and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Kirby said President Marcos’ visit aims to enhance the economic and energy security between the Philippines and the US and to foster maritime cooperation, to invest in critical infrastructure and to deepen people-to-people relationship of the two countries.
The diplomatic relations between the Philippines and the US span 77 years since its formal establishment on July 4, 1946. (PND)
