Donald Trump is set to make a return to the White House following his victory as president for a second time.
How will a second Trump administration affect the Philippines?
“We look forward to working with President Trump on a wide range of issues that will yield mutual benefits to two nations with deep ties, shared beliefs, common vision, and a long history of working together,” Marcos said after congratulating Trump as well as the American people. “I am hopeful that this unshakeable alliance, tested in war and peace, will be a force of good that will blaze a path of prosperity and amity in the region and both sides of the Pacific. This is a durable partnership the Philippines is fully committed to because it is founded on the ideals we share: freedom and democracy.”
On the other hand, Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez underscored the crucial role of US presence in the Indo-Pacific in maintaining stability and upholding peace and security in the region.
For US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, she said ahead of the final count that it doesn’t matter who wins, stressing her extreme confidence in the iron-clad alliance of the two countries.
“The Philippines is important to US interests. It sits at the crossroads of major sea lanes in the Indo-Pacific and is located close to Taiwan, which will make it particularly important in the event of a Taiwan contingency,” said Lynn Kuok, Lee Kuan Yew chair in Southeast Asia Studies and fellow of Foreign Policy at Center for Asia Policy Studies, in a commentary posted on the website of nonprofit public policy organization Brookings Institution.
While there’s a lot of optimism about Philippine-US relations, this will all depend on how Trump views the importance of the Philippines to US interests, especially in the Indo-Pacific. If he finds the Philippines a vital ally, then the country can expect increased support.
On one hand, there are concerns about Filipinos living in the United States, especially with Trump’s America First policy and his plans on immigration.
“We’re gonna have to seal up those borders, we’re gonna have to let people come into our country. We want people to come back in, but they have to come in legally… We are gonna start by putting America first,” he said in his victory speech.
This policy poses a big problem for illegal Filipino immigrants in the US. It will also greatly impact reunification of Filipino families in the US.
But Ambassador Romualdez allayed fears of what could be the largest deportation in history, citing the logistical and financial nightmare of doing so.
“I would doubt that. Some of the analysts have said here it will cost a lot of money to track these illegal immigrants. It’s gonna take a lot of resources,” he said.
While we do not encourage illegal immigration, we express hope that Filipinos who illegally entered the US will be given a fair chance at legalizing their stay in America where they are looking for greener pastures.
We also express hope that under Trump, the Philippine-US relations will remain robust considering that both nations share the same values of freedom and democracy — key factors that bind the two allies through the years.