Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Enrique Manalo believes that the Philippines and the United States are now refocusing attention on emergent concerns that will likely be on their common agenda for the future, as the two countries started extensively discussing several matters "for the first time." Among those tackled during the recently concluded 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue between the defense and foreign ministry officials of both sides were: climate-smart technologies and policies, climate finance, green metals, clean energy transition and de-carbonisation strategies, critical infrastructure and new technologies for ecosystem management and biodiversity conservation. "This refocusing takes into account the stakes of communities in the relationship, as well as our responsibilities with respect to climate change and environment," Manalo said. "Manila and Washington agreed to reinforce the bilateral relations with a new focus on a strong long-term economic partnership that has dividends for the Philippines’ upward economic trajectory as a middle-income economy," he also said. As he left Washington, D.C. for Manila, Manalo said the dialogue opened new channels for improving the scale and depth of the bilateral ties in trade and investments of both countries. The meeting also gave importance to the priorities of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. with regards to infrastructure, food security and energy security and clean energy. DFA said that the recent dialogue "set new directions for closer economic engagement" between the Philippines and the US for the next decade by tapping the synergies of both sides. With the record USD 21 billion bilateral trade that was reached by the two countries in 2022, the Philippines urged the US to step up efforts in catalyzing and strengthening cooperation on strategic trade and investments. That included the re-authorized Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program, a future bilateral free trade agreement (FTA), and through more capital-intensive investments, DFA said.

Meanwhile, the DFA also commented on the military alliance between the two countries. It said the Philippines and the US reaffirmed their commitment to respect and promote an international law-based order in the Asia- Pacific and elsewhere in the world through sustained dialogue, cooperation, and the peaceful settlement of disputes. In the discussions on developments in the West Philippine Sea/South China Sea, Manalo reiterated the Philippines' unwavering commitment, as an archipelagic nation, to the peace, security, stability, and prosperity of the West Philippine Sea/South China Sea as this ultimately redounds to the protection of the livelihoods of local fisherfolk and the preservation of the marine resources for future generations. He said the Philippines will continue to uphold its sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea; and that the Philippines will do so, through peaceful and legal means. But, the two sides, at the same time, saw the need to bolster combined defense capabilities, in accordance with their Mutual Defense Treaty, the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). They agreed to tackle threats and security challenges arising in land, sea, air, space and cyberspace domains, and effective responses to them, and to improve interoperability and cooperation in both conventional and non-conventional domains.