Philippines-US relations: Stars fully aligned

between the United States and the Philippines.

THE announcement that U.S. President Joe Biden will be hosting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the White House during their bilateral meeting on May 1 definitely underscores the special friendship and the ever-strengthening ties

President Marcos will be bringing key Cabinet members who will engage with their counterparts to cover many aspects of the bilateral relations between our two countries. As Malacañang put it, this allimportant visit to the U.S. will “substantively progress efforts to further deepen relations and political ties, to bring about lasting socio- economic partnerships, as well as to enhance defense and security cooperation.”

The bilateral meeting between President Marcos and President Biden will also reaffirm the ironclad commitment of the United States to the defense of the Philippines, with the discussion expected to touch on how the two nations can further deepen economic cooperation, promote inclusive prosperity and expand the special peopleto-people ties that have been in existence for so many decades – underpinning the close friendship between the Philippines and the U.S.. I received so many messages expressing elation over this latest development, and I responded by telling them the stars seem to be fully aligned because the timing seems to be very opportune, with recent events and activities leading up to this auspicious state of affairs.

As we had mentioned in our column last Sunday, April 23, the economy of the Philippines is on an upward trajectory, with growth expected to be sustained this year.

In the most recent World Economic Outlook Report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the projection for the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth was upgraded to 6 percent from the previous 5 percent forecast issued last January. The Philippines is also expected to register the fastest growth in Asia, outpacing India, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand whose economies are also projected to expand this year. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) also gave a similarly positive outlook for

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