PH-US alliance key to SCS, Indo-Pacific stability –Marcos

MEETING. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. meets with United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon on Tuesday (July 22, 2025, Manila time), reaffirming the Philippines’ strong defense alliance with the US amid rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific region. Marcos emphasized the need to evolve the Philippine-US partnership to address emerging security challenges, citing the South China Sea and broader regional stability as key areas of concern. (PCO photo)

By Darryl John Esguerra, Philippine News Agency

MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. emphasized the vital role of the Philippines-United States alliance in preserving peace and stability in the South China Sea (SCS) and the broader Indo-Pacific region, amid rising geopolitical tensions.

In his bilateral meeting with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon on Tuesday (Manila time), Marcos, currently in Washington, DC for a three-day official visit, said the long-standing partnership between the two countries continues to serve as a cornerstone for regional security.

“I believe that our alliance, the United States and the Philippines, had formed a great part in terms of preserving the peace, in terms of preserving the stability of the South China Sea.

But I would even go as far as to say in the entire Indo-Pacific region,” he said.

The President cited the importance of sustained dialogue and cooperation, especially in light of evolving regional dynamics and security challenges.

“We must continue to be in discussion. We must continue to evolve that relationship as the circumstances, the context in which we operate has evolved,” he added.

Marcos thanked the US for its continued support through joint military exercises and defense assistance that bolster the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), including efforts to modernize its capabilities.

“That forms a very, very important part of that relationship. And again, it is a proper response considering the challenges that we face in the Philippines, specifically vis-à-vis the changing geopolitical forces and the political developments around our part of the world,” he said.

He also recalled Hegseth’s visit to Manila in March as a “symbol” of the enduring PH-US defense alliance and a reaffirmation of commitments under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty.

Marcos was accompanied at the Pentagon by Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., National Security Adviser Eduardo Año, Presidential Adviser for Investment and Economic Affairs Frederick Go, Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez, and Defense Undersecretary Salvador Melchor Mison Jr.

Upon arrival, the President was welcomed with an enhanced honor cordon — a ceremonial tribute reserved for top foreign dignitaries — underscoring the strength of diplomatic and military ties between the two countries.

Marcos is on a three-day official visit to Washington, DC from July 20 to 22, upon the invitation of US President Donald Trump. He is the first Southeast Asian leader to meet with Trump during the latter’s second term.

He is expected to meet with the American leader to discuss trade and defense cooperations.