Photo from the Presidential Communications Office
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said he had a “very friendly” phone call with US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday and expressed his desire to strengthen the alliance between the countries.
Manila and Washington are long-standing treaty allies and their relationship has deepened since Marcos took office in 2022 and began standing up to China’s claims over the South China Sea.
Marcos joined other world leaders in publicly congratulating Trump on his victory in the US presidential election this month, as they sought to get onside with the next administration.
The phone call with Trump was “very friendly” and “very productive”, Marcos told reporters during a visit to Catanduanes island, which was hit by a super typhoon on Saturday.
“We talked about… the alliance between the United States and the Philippines. And I expressed to him our continuing desire to strengthen that relationship between our two countries, which is a relationship that is as deep as can possibly be because it has been for a very long time.”
Marcos added that he thought Trump was “happy to hear from the Philippines”.
Marcos followed up his remarks with a Facebook post showing a photo of himself sitting at a desk between two Christmas trees and speaking into his smartphone.
“The overwhelming support of Filipinos in the United States on your triumphant win is a testament to the deep and enduring friendship between our nations,” Marcos said.
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