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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Trump accepts Marcos' invite to visit Manila for ASEAN summit—PH envoy

Trump accepts Marcos' invite to visit Manila for ASEAN summit—PH envoy

Published Jul 26, 2025 10:58 am
United States President Donald Trump has accepted the invitation from President Marcos to come to the Philippines next year when Manila hosts the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. meets with United States President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, July 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. meets with United States President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, July 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
This was disclosed by Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez in a recent interview over NewsWatch Plus PH.

“So definitely we're confident that we will take President Trump's word that he will come to the Philippines to visit. And I think it's going to be a good one because as I said, we have good personal relationship. And I can see that that's going to develop even better and down the road,” he said.

Romualdez shared that Trump himself confirmed his interest to visit Manila during a tete-a-tete at the Oval Office after they had lunch with Marcos.

“He said, yes, I will definitely go….If I'm invited, I'll go,” the envoy added.

The ambassador stressed the “good personal relationship” between Marcos and Trump seeing as the US president was a close friend to former first lady Imelda Marcos, and has even inquired about her when Marcos congratulated him for his victory in November 2024.

Romualdez warned against panicking because of the 19 percent tariff rate that will be imposed on Philippine goods entering the US. It reflects a two percent rise from the previous 17 percent.

“As I said, huwag natin titingnan itong nangyari ngayon, magri-react tayo masyadong negative ang tingin natin. Pag ganun lagi ang isip natin, ano makukuha natin, walang mangyayari sa atin sa ganyan (let us not look and react to this negatively. When we think like that, what are we going to get, the more that we will get nothing),” he said.

“We have to look at it kung ano ang mabuti para sa atin at saka makakabuti sa (what is good for us and the good for the) whole relationship and the entire Indo-Pacific region,” he added.

The ambassador explained that negotiations on the new tariff rates are not done yet because “there are a lot of details that have to be still threshed out.”

“It's just a, I would call it a beginning balance… As I said, at the end of the day, the leaders in our country will have to make that decision. Now, in my view, the one percent was like just the beginning buttons,” he added.

Marcos was in Washington, D.C. from July 20 to 22 and held meetings with Trump, as well as with State Secretary Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

His visit became the first of a Southeast Asian leader since Trump took office in January this year.

Related Tags

ASEAN Summit United States Donald Trump President Marcos
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