A decade later: PBBM visit revitalized PH-US relations

THE last time a sitting Philippine president visited Washington, D.C. was more than a decade ago. Being fortunate to be in the front seat as the Philippine Ambassador to the United States, we were all extremely pleased that the visit of President Marcos Jr. was highly successful on behalf of the country and our national interest. Neither the president nor anyone of us are expecting accolades for the visit’s success; everyone who participated in this event simply believed in just how important the relationship is between the Philippines and the United States.

The four-day official visit was highlighted by the bilateral meeting between President Marcos Jr. and President Joe Biden at the Oval Office, which turned out to be fruitful and cordial. It was only natural that both leaders recognized the importance of such a meeting in revitalizing the alliance between our two nations, and the need for the relationship to evolve as we face “the challenges of this new century,” in the words of President Biden as he echoed the statement made by President Marcos during their first face-toface meeting in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in September last year. With remarkable candor, the U.S. president said he “can’t think of any better partner to have” than the Philippines. The bilateral meeting at the Oval Office was followed by an expanded meeting at the White House Cabinet Room with key U.S. Cabinet secretaries and our own Cabinet secretaries led by Foreign Affairs Secretary Ricky Manalo, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Defense OIC Charlie Galvez and ICT Secretary Ivan Uy. Clearly, there was a lot of enthusiasm on both sides, underscoring the multifaceted nature of Philippines-U.S. relations.

The result of such meetings is the expectation of a lot more economic activities between our two countries, underscored by President Biden’s announcement that he will be sending a firstof-its-kind, high-powered trade delegation with perhaps 100 or 200 top American companies to the Philippines, to be headed by U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. Secretary Raimondo is very enthusiastic at the prospect of visiting the Philippines and exploring investment opportunities in several sectors that include renewable energy, infrastructure and mineral processing. President Marcos Jr. and the First Lady were invited by the White House to be their guests at the Blair House but the president politely declined, opting instead to stay at a nearby hotel. Nonetheless, the White House graciously allowed us to use the historic landmark residence for meetings and events during the entire stay of the president and his delegation. The Blair House, or more popularly known as the President’s Guest House, is a complex made up of four separate homes, among them a property that was constructed in 1824 and named after its second owner, Francis Preston Blair, who was a journalist. Blair House has been described as