House Deputy Speaker and Batangas 6th district Rep. Ralph Recto (left), President Bongbong Marcos (Rep. Recto's office)




House Deputy Speaker and Batangas 6th district Rep. Ralph Recto has credited not one but two Romualdezes for the "unqualified success" that was President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s five-day trip to the United States (US). "The trip of the President to the US was an unqualified success," Recto said in a statement. "It helped that he had as wingmen [Philippine] Ambassador [the United States] Babes Romualdez, a reliable DC hand who can speed-dial those who move the levers of power, and [House] Speaker [Martin] Romualdez, whose excellent private sector contacts hark back to his banking days," Recto noted. Speaker Romualdez arrived in the US two weeks before Marcos to lay the groundwork for the latter's visit by meeting with US lawmakers and other bigwigs. The President, the Speaker, and the rest of the Philippine delegation arrived home over the weekend. "In speaking to America, the President was on the message: that economic prosperity is the foundation of national security. He was able to put out that narrative despite the US government’s spin to paint the rebooted US-Philippine relations in one-dimensional terms - as an alliance against China," Recto said. "He was not mouthing Washington's talking points but clearly conveyed our national interest," he added. The former Senate President Pro Tempore said Marcos was steadfast in saying that the Philippines will not be a launching pad against any aggression in the region and it remains a friend to all, and enemy to none. "Trade, not aid, was the tenor of his many speeches. Goods to be bought from us, not guns given," he said. "With the number of Filipinos working and residing in the US, and the huge trade between our two nations, anytime a Philippine president visits the US, our country’s '19th region', is time well spent," concluded Recto.