President Marcos reiterated his confidence that there will be no major shift in the United States’ policy towards the Philippines once President-elect Donald Trump returns to the Oval Office on Jan. 20 next year.
“I don’t think it will change,” Mr. Marcos told reporters when asked about the future of bilateral relations under Trump’s leadership.
He explained that global forces largely shape the shared interests of nations, which in turn cause alliances to be formed.
“They [Americans] are our oldest treaty partner; that doesn’t change,” he added.
Mr. Marcos said that while his administration will monitor for any draconian shifts in U.S. foreign policy under the Republican president, he does not foresee any major changes that would impact the Philippines economically or strategically.
The US-Philippines alliance, which dates back to 1951 with the signing of the Mutual Defense Treaty, has long been a cornerstone of Philippine foreign policy.
Both nations have traditionally cooperated on issues ranging from trade to defense.
For his part, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada urged concerned government officials to create a comprehensive contingency plan to assist undocumented Filipinos should Trump follow through on his campaign promise to implement a large-scale crackdown on illegal immigrants.
“It’s easy to tell our undocumented countrymen in the U.S. to just come home instead of awaiting deportation, but it’s not easy to get it done,” he said in Filipino.
He noted that the Philippine government should do more than just plan for the repatriation of Filipinos illegally staying in the US, but it should also help provide them with livelihood once they return home because many of the are their families’ breadwinners.
Meanwhile, Senator Imee Marcos on Tuesday called on the legislature to set aside necessary funds to assist undocumented Filipinos who will inevitably be driven out of the U.S. by stricter immigration policies under a Trump presidency.
“I call on my colleagues in both the Senate and the House to give the Department of Foreign Affairs all of the necessary funds to respond promptly and adequately to the impending deportation of more than 200,000 undocumented Filipinos in the United States. The DFA must be adequately prepared to provide timely and effective assistance to our ‘kababayans’ facing this crisis,” she said in a statement.
She also appealed to Filipinos illegally staying in the U.S. to maintain sobriety, set aside funds for their possible legal needs, and explore alternative means of livelihood.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Marcos confident Trump admin won’t affect US-Philippine relations.”
