Rubio vows stronger alliance with Marcos
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday reaffirmed their commitment to deepen the Philippines-United States alliance, with both sides pledging closer cooperation on defense, economic growth, energy, food security, artificial intelligence, and regional stability.
Rubio’s visit marks his first trip to the Philippines as U.S. Secretary of State, underscoring Washington’s commitment to its oldest treaty ally in Asia. He is in Manila to attend the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and related meetings.
Welcoming Rubio to Malacañang, President Marcos thanked U.S. President Donald Trump and the secretary for their continued support as the two countries mark 80 years of diplomatic relations and the 75th anniversary of their alliance.
“I’m glad that you have had this opportunity to at least engage and have some exchanges with the other foreign secretaries, with other foreign ministers, especially coming out of ASEAN,” Marcos said.
The President said the two countries could build further on their longstanding partnership in promoting peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, expanding trade and investment, strengthening disaster response, and enhancing cooperation in energy, food security, defense, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
Marcos also thanked the United States for its continued support for the Philippines in addressing challenges in the West Philippine Sea.
Rubio, meanwhile, congratulated the President for hosting the 2026 ASEAN Summit and said the meetings provide an important opportunity for regional dialogue.
“This is a country that has deep ties with the United States for many, many years. And it’s a partnership that is only growing. And in light of recent events, I think more important than ever,” Rubio said.
“And so we’re glad to be with you here today and to reaffirm that relationship and our commitment to the U.S.-Philippines relationship,” he added.
The Philippines and the United States established diplomatic relations on July 4, 1946. The U.S. remains the Philippines’ only treaty ally, with defense cooperation anchored on the Mutual Defense Treaty, Visiting Forces Agreement, Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, and other bilateral accords.
The United States has also been an ASEAN Dialogue Partner since 1977 and a Comprehensive Strategic Partner since 2022.
Economically, the U.S. was the Philippines’ third-largest trading partner, largest export market, and fifth-largest source of imports in 2025. It also remained the country’s leading source of foreign tourists in the first half of 2026, a major source of foreign direct investment, and its largest provider of official development assistance grants.
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