Manila: The "very important alliance" between Manila and Washington must be strengthened, according to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who stated on Sunday that his upcoming meeting with US President Joe Biden is crucial to advancing his nation's interests.

Following a number of high-level engagements in the previous year, including his meeting with Biden on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in September and the visit of US Vice President Kamala Harris to the Philippines in November, Marcos left Manila on Sunday for the first state visit of a Philippine leader to Washington in almost ten years.

In order to advance our national interests and strengthen that very thing, Marcos said that his visit to the United States—and, in particular, his meeting with President Joe Biden—was crucial.

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His trip coincides with rising geopolitical unrest over Taiwan's independence and worries about China's behaviour in the contentious South China Sea. Additionally, it coincides with stronger defence ties between the US and the Philippines, as evidenced by their largest-ever joint military exercises in April and a recent increase in US access to Philippine bases.

In his speech, Marcos emphasised his desire to deepen Philippine-US ties "in a wide range of areas that not only address concerns of our times, but also those that are critical to advancing our core interests," citing topics like food security, climate change, cybersecurity, and economic resilience.

According to Marcos, the Philippines would reiterate their "commitment to fostering our long-standing alliances as an instrument of peace and as a catalyst of development in the Asia Pacific region," while also advocating "for greater economic engagement" with the US.

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The Philippines' relations with the US are only now improving after years under former President Rodrigo Duterte, who distanced Manila from Washington in favour of Beijing. Despite the fact that the Filipino leader has been working to improve relations with both China and the US.

According to Stephen Cutler, a former FBI legal attaché in Manila, "he's taking time out and I think... the optics of that are just massive, especially considering the last administration." "So, I believe this will work out well."

In addition to their defence ties, Cutler said that Marcos' visit provides an opportunity to discuss other issues in Philippine-US relations.

"The Philippines' relationship with the United States and its problems go far beyond just military security.

One of the things the president's visit will enable him to do, in my opinion, is forge strong ties with US companies that have the potential to create jobs in that industry here in the Philippines.

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According to national surveys, one of Filipinos' top concerns is the creation of jobs. "We are all counting on the president's trip to pave the way for additional American direct investment inflows that we need to support our economic recovery and create new employment," said Marcelino Libanan, minority leader in the Philippine House of Representatives.