PH-US-Japan bloc to ‘change dynamic’ in region – Marcos

PBBM banking on coalition, alliances to rein in China

President Marcos arrived in Manila early Sunday morning, confident that his trilateral meeting in Washington with US President Joe Biden and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, from whom he secured support for the country’s development plan, will “change the dynamic” in the region amid China’s aggressive moves.

“It is going to change the dynamic that we have been seeing in the region, in ASEAN, in Asia, around the South China Sea and certainly I think for the better,” the President said in a press conference shortly after his arrival.

He said the leaders of US and Japan vowed to pour billions of dollars for the development and maintenance of critical industries like semiconductors and the creation of clean energy in the country.

“I’m a great believer in coalition and alliances,” the President said. This is why, he added, it is essential to conduct a trilateral agreement between the three countries.

The plane carrying the President landed at Villamor Airbase in Pasay City at 3:03 a.m.

In the Chief Executive’s arrival remarks, Marcos said his counterparts declared their support for the infrastructure development and connectivity in the Philippines through the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI).

He said the two leaders also favored the Philippines’ plans to implement the Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN), workforce development for the semiconductor industry, and capacity-building in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, as well as the country’s membership in the Minerals Security Partnership Forum.

“We also exchanged views on a number of regional security issues of mutual concern. I took the opportunity to update President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida on the latest developments in the South China Sea, including the recent incident at Ayungin Shoal,” Mr. Marcos said.

Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Sunday congratulated President Marcos for achieving “a monumental diplomatic victory for the country and our people” with his historic trilateral meeting with Biden Kishida.

“On behalf of the entire House of Representatives, I extend my warmest congratulations to President Marcos Jr. for his remarkable achievement in securing a monumental diplomatic victory through the recent historic trilateral meeting with President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida,” he said.

The leader of the 309-strong Congress said the outcome of the trilateral meeting holds immense importance for the Filipino people, for “our economy, and our national interest, particularly in the context of the West Philippine Sea.”

“The collaboration and dialogue fostered during this meeting pave the way for enhanced cooperation in addressing regional challenges, particularly in promoting maritime security, safeguarding our territorial integrity and improving the lives of the Filipino people,” he said.

“This historic meeting signifies a strong and united commitment of the three nations to upholding the principles of international law and ensuring the freedom of navigation and overflight in the region which are vital in ensuring peace, stability and prosperity,” he added.

Romualdez said the Joint Vision Statement of the three leaders issued during the historic summit manifested their unity and commitment to press for observance of rules-based international order in the South China Sea amid increasing aggressive behavior by China.

“We underscore our nations’ unwavering commitment to freedom of navigation and overflight, and the importance of respecting the sovereign rights of states within their exclusive economic zones consistent with international law, as reflected in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” the Joint Vision Statement read.

Other House leaders also lauded the successful first trilateral summit between Mr. Marcos, Biden, and Kishida.

Senior Deputy Speaker Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr., Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. David Suarez, and Majority Leader and Zamboanga City Rep. Manuel Jose Dalipe said the positive results of the meeting would have far-reaching impact on the economic development and peace, security, and stability of the Indo-Pacific region.

“We are hopeful about the peace and economic gains that we will surely realize from this historic engagement of President Biden, Prime Minister Kishida and President BBM,” their statement read.

Gonzales said he welcomed the decision of the three leaders to launch the Luzon Economic Corridor to support the connectivity of Subic Freeport, Clark Freeport, Metro Manila and Batangas.

“This project will immensely benefit our region, our province Pampanga in particular, the National Capital Region and Southern Luzon. It will create additional job and income opportunities for our people,” he said.

The legislators said the Luzon Economic Corridor “is a demonstration of our enhanced economic cooperation, focused on delivering tangible investments across multiple sectors.”

Even though the trilateral summit came in the wake of the latest water canon incident by Chinese boats against Philippine vessels, Mr. Marcos was quick to assure the public that the agreement is not about convenience, neither it is because of the latest incident.

He affirmed that a huge part of the agreement is built on “economic proposals and economic assistance and partnership” between the three countries.

Security and defense, the President said, is part of the talks, but it is neither central nor exclusive in the vision statement. The sectors are well-defined, he said, including all prioritized areas of concern.

Development of the country, he insisted, was the crucial theme of the summit, as nations come out of the pandemic.

The President said, “I’m very confident that the trilateral agreement will be a very big development to the Philippines, and of course to the US and Japan.”

Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez earlier said that investments to be expected from the United States and Japan can reach up to $100 billion in the next five years.

These investments, Romualdez said, have already been committed to areas in sectors that have already been marked.

“I am very confident that these will all materialize and the Philippines will see and feel the effect of this agreement,” he said.

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