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Marcos reaffirms US ties in 100 days President

Marcos reaffirms US ties in 100 days President

Newslooks- MANILA, Philippines (AP)

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has been reaffirming ties with the United States in a key turnaround from the often-hostile demeanor his predecessor displayed toward Manila’s treaty ally.

President Joe Biden meets with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Marcos Jr., who marks his 100th day in office Saturday, inherited daunting problems at home, including a coronavirus pandemic-battered economy, soaring inflation, unemployment and mounting foreign and domestic debt, in addition to longstanding poverty and decades-old insurgencies.

FILE – U.S. President Joe Biden, right, meets with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sept. 22, 2022, in New York. Marcos Jr. has reaffirmed ties with the United States, the first major power he visited since taking office in June, in a key turnaround from the often-hostile demeanor his predecessor displayed toward Manila’s treaty ally. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

In terms of foreign policy, a key focus in his first months in office has been to rekindle U.S.-Philippines relations.

But Marcos Jr., 65, is the namesake son of the dictator who was ousted in a 1986 pro-democracy uprising amid widespread human rights atrocities and plunder. He has defended his father’s legacy. Given U.S. President Joe Biden’s high-profile advocacy for democracy and human rights, more than a few have been surprised over the goodwill that has unfolded between the leaders in recent months.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. waves as he arrives at the 2022 Department of Environment and Natural Resources Multistakeholder Forum in Manila, Philippines, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022. Marcos Jr. has reaffirmed ties with the United States, the first major power he visited since taking office in June, in a key turnaround from the often-hostile demeanor his predecessor displayed toward Manila’s treaty ally. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

“It’s a quantum leap,” Manila-based analyst Richard Heydarian said. “Marcos Jr. is, ironically, seen as a breath of fresh air in the United States.”

America’s relations with the Philippines — its oldest treaty ally in Asia — entered a difficult period under former President Rodrigo Duterte. During his time at the country’s helm from 2016, he threatened to sever ties with Washington, kick visiting American forces out and once attempted to abrogate a major defense pact with the U.S. while nurturing cozy ties with China and Russia.

FILE – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., center right, is greeted after his first state of the nation address in Quezon city, Philippines on July 25, 2022. Marcos Jr. has reaffirmed ties with the United States, the first major power he visited since taking office in June, in a key turnaround from the often-hostile demeanor his predecessor displayed toward Manila’s treaty ally. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, Pool, File)

Duterte made five visits to China and two to Russia but vowed never to set foot in America. He had bristled at U.S. criticisms of his notoriously deadly crackdown against illegal drugs, including by then-President Barack Obama, whom he cursed and asked in a speech “to go to hell.”

But Duterte’s successor took a different approach.

FILE – New Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., center, smiles as Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, left, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez applauds during his first state of the nation address in Quezon city, Philippines on July 25, 2022. Marcos Jr. has reaffirmed ties with the United States, the first major power he visited since taking office in June, in a key turnaround from the often-hostile demeanor his predecessor displayed toward Manila’s treaty ally. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, Pool, File)

Last month, Marcos Jr. flew to the U.S. to deliver a speech at the U.N. General Assembly and met Biden for the first time on the sidelines. Biden was the first world leader to call and congratulate Marcos Jr. after his landslide victory in the May 9 elections.

“We’ve had some rocky times, but the fact is, it’s a critical, critical relationship, from our perspective. I hope you feel the same way,” Biden told Marcos Jr. in a news conference.

“We continue to look to the United States for that continuing partnership and the maintenance of peace in our region,” Marcos Jr. told Biden. “We are your partners. We are your allies. We are your friends.”

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., center, rings the bell at the New York Stock Exchange in New York on Sept. 19, 2022. Marcos Jr. has reaffirmed ties with the United States, the first major power he visited since taking office in June, in a key turnaround from the often-hostile demeanor his predecessor displayed toward Manila’s treaty ally. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Marcos Jr. brought key Cabinet members and a business delegation to meet potential American investors. At a New York Stock Exchange economic forum, he underscored Manila’s commitment to engage Washington: “I cannot see the Philippines in the future without having the United States as a partner.”

Investment pledges worth about $4 billion were secured in his U.S. visit, which could generate more than 100,000 jobs in the Philippines, officials said.

FILE – President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., center, is sworn in by Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, left, while his wife Maria Louise Marcos, right, reacts during the inauguration ceremony on June 30, 2022 in Manila, Philippines. Marcos Jr. has reaffirmed ties with the United States, the first major power he visited since taking office in June, in a key turnaround from the often-hostile demeanor his predecessor displayed toward Manila’s treaty ally. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)

“After six years of destructive populism under Duterte, he suddenly came out as a kind of a much-welcome statesman in the eyes of many foreign partners,” analyst Heydarian said of Marcos Jr., adding that the Philippine leader was expected to continue fostering close ties with Beijing despite his overtures to the U.S.

FILE – President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.,4th from left, poses with his family including his mother Imelda, 5th from left, during the inauguration ceremony on June 30, 2022 at the National Museum in Manila, Philippines. Marcos Jr. has reaffirmed ties with the United States, the first major power he visited since taking office in June, in a key turnaround from the often-hostile demeanor his predecessor displayed toward Manila’s treaty ally. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)

Marcos Jr. has refused calls by opponents to apologize for the abuses under the dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980s. He has stayed away from controversies surrounding his late father and their family, especially during the electoral campaign. He and his running mate — now Vice President Sara Duterte — steadfastly stuck to a call for national unity despite the deep divisions the Marcos dictatorship and Rodrigo Duterte, her father, had caused.

FILE – Protesters raise their clenched fists as they mark the 50th anniversary of martial law during a rally at the University of the Philippines in Manila, Philippines on Sept. 21, 2022. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has reaffirmed ties with the United States, the first major power he visited since taking office in June, in a key turnaround from the often-hostile demeanor his predecessor displayed toward Manila’s treaty ally. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)

In instances when the issues came up unexpectedly, however, Marcos Jr. has been defensive, saying in a recent Philippine TV interview that it was wrong for his father to be called a dictator.

In an interview with The Associated Press while he was in New York, Marcos Jr. said it was useless to go into endless debates about the past.

“I’m not about to change my political position,” he said. “They clearly are not about to change their political position either. So, what’s the point?”

“They put you there to help, to be of service and so, that’s what I will do.” Marcos Jr. said.

FILE – New Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., center, smiles as Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, left, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez applauds during his first state of the nation address in Quezon city, Philippines on July 25, 2022. Marcos Jr. has reaffirmed ties with the United States, the first major power he visited since taking office in June, in a key turnaround from the often-hostile demeanor his predecessor displayed toward Manila’s treaty ally. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, Pool, File)

Still, Biden’s officials have said human rights were at the top of the agenda in each of their engagements with Marcos Jr. and his officials.

As Marcos Jr. rose to power, the U.S. was embarking on a strategy to considerably broaden American engagement by strengthening a web of security alliances and partnerships amid China’s growing influence and ambitions.

FILE – Human rights groups pass by an effigy of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as they mark the 50th anniversary of martial law at the University of the Philippines in Manila, Philippines on Sept. 21, 2022. Marcos Jr. has reaffirmed ties with the United States, the first major power he visited since taking office in June, in a key turnaround from the often-hostile demeanor his predecessor displayed toward Manila’s treaty ally. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)

American officials have repeatedly assured the Philippines they would honor their treaty obligations if Filipino forces, ships and aircraft come under attack in the disputed South China Sea, where Beijing, Manila and four other governments have been locked in territorial rifts for decades.

The northern Philippines is strategically located across a strait from Taiwan and could serve as a crucial outpost in case tensions worsen between China and the self-governed island.

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