Manila Bulletin
Philippines
National
Marcos to raise defense treaty in US trip but specifics remain unknown
Philippines
National
Marcos to raise defense treaty in US trip but specifics remain unknown
Marcos to raise defense treaty in US trip but specifics remain unknown
Published Apr 28, 2023 08:38 am
It remains unclear what kind of "evolution" President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. would be taking up with President Joe Biden about the Philippines and US mutual defense treaty when they meet in Washington next week.
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. (Photo courtesy of Malacañang)
Marcos recently mentioned that the [mutual defense treaty between both countries needs to evolve](https://mb.com.ph/2023/4/24/marcos-to-bring-up-treaty-agreements-climate-change-aid-and-many-more-to-biden-in-2nd-us-visit), and this will be part of the agenda he will raise with Biden. "We have to evolve it, it has to evolve dahil nag-e-evolve din, ina-adjust adjust din natin 'yan dahil meron din talagang evolution, may nagbabago din sa sitwasyon na hinaharap natin dito sa South China Sea sa gitna ng mga pangyayari sa Taiwan, sa North Korea (because it is evolving, we need to adjust it because there are evolution here, the situation we are facing in the South China Sea, the situation in Taiwan, North Korea are evolving)," Marcos said on April 24. During the pre-departure briefing for his US trip on Friday, April 28, Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said the matter would actually be raised but did not mention to what extent. "The President has come up with a statement that there's a need for partnerships not only with the United States to evolve and it is important because the conditions are changing. There are a lot of challenges that are emerging and to be relevant any partnership has to evolve," Daza said. Daza, however, said that she was not privy as to the terms of specifics as to what direction the agreement would go. "But in terms of the specifics as to directions I am not privy to specific instructions as to how this will evolve but I do also know that it is a matter of evolving our defense security relations. It is not just the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) that will be involved, there are other agencies as well that will be involved in it including the Department of National Defense, National Security Council, and the like," the ambassador said. Daza said while it will actually be part of the discussion, Marcos' second trip to the US will give heavy emphasis on the country's economic agenda. "The discussions on security and defense is a given, it is something that will actually be raised. But I think for this trip, there will be a heavy emphasis in terms of the economic agenda," Daza said. Various priorities such as agriculture and food security, infrastructure development, renewable energy and clean energy will be some of the sectors that will actually be highlighted during the visit itself, she stressed. "He will cover various aspects of the relations, it's not just defense and security it will also be a promotion of economic interest and the like," Daza said. "I think what will be underscored also is that while defense and security is very important, economic security is also equally important because if you have economic security, that will also promote political security and vice versa," Daza added.
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. (Photo courtesy of Malacañang)
Marcos recently mentioned that the [mutual defense treaty between both countries needs to evolve](https://mb.com.ph/2023/4/24/marcos-to-bring-up-treaty-agreements-climate-change-aid-and-many-more-to-biden-in-2nd-us-visit), and this will be part of the agenda he will raise with Biden. "We have to evolve it, it has to evolve dahil nag-e-evolve din, ina-adjust adjust din natin 'yan dahil meron din talagang evolution, may nagbabago din sa sitwasyon na hinaharap natin dito sa South China Sea sa gitna ng mga pangyayari sa Taiwan, sa North Korea (because it is evolving, we need to adjust it because there are evolution here, the situation we are facing in the South China Sea, the situation in Taiwan, North Korea are evolving)," Marcos said on April 24. During the pre-departure briefing for his US trip on Friday, April 28, Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said the matter would actually be raised but did not mention to what extent. "The President has come up with a statement that there's a need for partnerships not only with the United States to evolve and it is important because the conditions are changing. There are a lot of challenges that are emerging and to be relevant any partnership has to evolve," Daza said. Daza, however, said that she was not privy as to the terms of specifics as to what direction the agreement would go. "But in terms of the specifics as to directions I am not privy to specific instructions as to how this will evolve but I do also know that it is a matter of evolving our defense security relations. It is not just the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) that will be involved, there are other agencies as well that will be involved in it including the Department of National Defense, National Security Council, and the like," the ambassador said. Daza said while it will actually be part of the discussion, Marcos' second trip to the US will give heavy emphasis on the country's economic agenda. "The discussions on security and defense is a given, it is something that will actually be raised. But I think for this trip, there will be a heavy emphasis in terms of the economic agenda," Daza said. Various priorities such as agriculture and food security, infrastructure development, renewable energy and clean energy will be some of the sectors that will actually be highlighted during the visit itself, she stressed. "He will cover various aspects of the relations, it's not just defense and security it will also be a promotion of economic interest and the like," Daza said. "I think what will be underscored also is that while defense and security is very important, economic security is also equally important because if you have economic security, that will also promote political security and vice versa," Daza added.