Marcos flies to US to secure deal ahead of tariff policy

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President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. says he is ready to negotiate a bilateral trade deal that is 'mutually beneficial'

MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. flew to the United States on Sunday, July 20, his fifth visit during his administration, in a bid to negotiate the slapped 20% tariff on Philippine exports to the American market that will take effect in August.

Marcos was the first Southeast Asian leader to be invited by US President Donald Trump to the White House, a move seen as evidence of a strong relationship between the two countries.

In his Philippine Star column, Philippine Ambassador to the US Babe Romualdez said that Marcos would be staying at the Blair House, which is also known as The President’s Guest House, where Queen Elizabeth II, King Juan Carlos of Spain, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and South African President Nelson Mandela had also stayed.

“Which reminds me of the state visit of President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. to Washington in 1982 when he stayed at the Blair House with Mrs. Marcos. At the time, I was a news anchor for RPN 9 covering that trip, and it so happened that then-Ilocos Norte vice governor Bongbong Marcos was with us,” Romualdez wrote.

Romualdez said that apart from the new tariff policy, matters such as “opportunities to expand economic ties, enhance defense and security cooperation and other sensitive international issues of mutual concern” are expected to be discussed by the two leaders.

The Philippine economic team had flown to the US ahead of Marcos’ arrival to meet with the Office of the US Trade Representative and negotiate the new tariffs or secure a free trade agreement.

US goods trade with the Philippines reached an estimated $23.5 billion in 2024, according to data from the Office of the United States Trade Representative.

US exports to the Philippines stood at $9.3 billion, a 0.4% increase from 2023, while imports from the Philippines totaled $14.2 billion, up 6.9% year-over-year.

The resulting US goods trade deficit with the Philippines widened to $4.9 billion in 2024, marking a 21.8% increase from the previous year.

“My visit to Washington, DC, and most importantly, my meeting with President Trump, is essential to continuing to advance our national interests and strengthening our alliance,” Marcos said.

“I intend to convey to President Trump and his cabinet officials that the Philippines is ready to negotiate a bilateral trade deal that will ensure strong, mutually beneficial, and future-oriented collaborations that only the United States and the Philippines will be able to take advantage of,” he added.

Marcos’ fifth trip to the US comes a week after the Philippines commemorated the 9th anniversary of the Hague ruling that upheld the Philippines’ rights within its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea and invalidated China’s sweeping historical claims. Despite being a United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS signatory, China continues to reject the ruling. – With reports from Reuters/Rappler.com