WASHINGTON, D.C

—President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. believes that the way to navigate the "almost chaotic" dynamics in the international scene is to have a strong ally. President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. (Photo courtesy of Malacañang)
During a dinner hosted by the Philippine Embassy at the Blair House for the President here on Monday night, May 1, Marcos said that with the recent scourge of the Covid-19 pandemic, coupled with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the balance and dynamics in the international scene have been “almost chaotic.” He said in order to maintain the stability in the region and in the world, it is necessary to have strong partnerships with other nations. "And I have come to believe that the way forward, the way that we will be able to navigate this troubled water, the way that we will be able to guide ourselves is to be strong, to have strong partners, to have strong allies,” the President pointed out. “Since things are so volatile the stability would come from those alliances, those partnerships. And it is a strange thing to come from that  situation where you have very polarized world view, to come from that situation where now we have to look into very different directions all the time,” he added. With this, he stressed that the trade relations between the Philippines and the United States must be “continually revisited" in order for both parties to mutually benefit from these initiatives. The President said he told US President Joe Biden that "it’s very hard to categorize" the partnership between the two countries as one thing as it does not only revolve on the area of defense. "[I]in terms of trade, in terms of education, in terms of culture, in terms of people-to-people as it has come to be known, all of these things have been going on for a hundred years,” Marcos said. “But it still needs to be continually revisited so as we can make the most of our friendship and our partnership. And so that is the world as I see it today and the reasons that will come," he added. Marcos pointed out that his visit to Washington is vital especially during the “turbulent times” the relations between the Philippines and US went through in the past years. “But similarly to our ambassadors' friendships, like two friendships,  you go to turbulent times when there are misunderstandings, when there are difficulties, when other forces prevail upon both sides of the partnership,” he said. “But between the Philippines and the United states, we have prevailed through all that like a true friendship. And the reason for that I believe is that we truly have come to an understanding as to how we believe certain values and what is important, and our role in the world and that has never really been diminished,” the President added. He reiterated that the mutual defense treaty between the two countries should evolve. "It should evolve because the situation that we are surrounded with changes and we must evolve with that. Therefore it is extremely important that we have these interactions, it's extremely important that we are constant in communication. It is extremely important that we understand what it is we are trying to achieve,” he noted. During a bilateral meeting, US President Joe Biden affirmed its [ironclad alliance to the Philippines](https://mb.com.ph/2023/5/2/marcos-biden-affirm-ironclad-alliance-during-white-house-meet).