‘Positive momentum’ in PH-US ties to continue in 2025 – Carlson
Metro Manila, Philippines—United States Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson expressed confidence that Philippine-US relations will sustain its positive momentum next year under a new leadership in the US.
In a briefing with foreign affairs reporters on Monday, Carlson highlighted strong bipartisan support in Washington, making sure that the partnership will continue to grow.
“You’ve heard me say it before: this is a bilateral relationship on hyperdrive. And I expect this incredible positive momentum to continue in 2025, and well beyond,” she said.
Strengthening trilateral cooperation
Carlson said apart from bilateral ties, trilateral cooperation with Japan is expected to further solidify efforts in addressing challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly in the South China Sea.
She noted the significance of the recent trilateral maritime dialogue in Tokyo, the first of its kind.
“The United States, Japan, and the Philippines discussed opportunities to strengthen future trilateral cooperation and engagement with other partners through maritime cooperative activities, combined training, and coast guard capacity building,” Carlson said.
Reflecting on the year, Carlson described 2024 as a “banner year” for Philippine-US relations, citing the trilateral summit in April among US President Joe Biden, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and then-Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida as a key highlight.
The summit, she said, saw leaders commit to ambitious initiatives spanning the economy, new technologies, and security.
Security cooperation milestones
On defense and security, Carlson noted key achievements in the military alliance, including the Philippines Security Sector Assistance Roadmap and the General Security of Military Information Agreement.
“These agreements will enable greater US support for the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ modernization effort and improve information sharing between our forces,” Carlson explained.
She also cited the $500-million foreign military financing (FMF) provided by Washington to the Philippines.
“This is the largest single disbursement of FMF in the history of our alliance, underscoring our commitment to supporting the modernization of the Philippine military,” she added.
Boosting economic ties, innovation
Carlson said bilateral relations extend beyond defense, highlighting robust economic engagement.
“Earlier this year, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo led a delegation of 22 businesses for the historic Presidential Trade and Investment Mission to the Philippines, announcing more than 55 billion pesos in U.S. investments. This was just one of 27 significant U.S. trade delegations to visit the Philippines this year, representing sectors ranging from agricultural technology, to defense, to the nuclear energy industry,” she said.
She also pointed to the success of the Indo-Pacific Business Forum, which gathered over 700 business and government leaders to strengthen economic ties and resilience in the region.
Record-breaking people-to-people exchange
The US envoy celebrated growing people-to-people connections, noting that visa applications from the Philippines reached a record high this year.
“We broke records also in our people-to-people ties, processing more visa applications this past year than ever before in the history of our relationship and hosting the greatest number of Filipino students in US higher education institutions in more than fifteen years,” she said.
When asked about concerns over Donald Trump’s looming immigration policies, Carlson said the US continues to value Filipinos for their significant contributions.
“I will say, however, that it is very clear that Filipinos in the United States—the Filipino Americans—make great contributions to our economy, to our society. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard people talk about the role of Philippine angels during the pandemic, so on a person-to-person basis and humanitarian perspective, of course, we want to make sure that every person is treated with dignity,” she said.
Preparing for new US administration
Philippine foreign service officials are preparing for the incoming Trump administration.
Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez, consuls, and representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Office of American Affairs convened on Dec. 10-11 in Washington, D.C., and they discussed pressing issues, including a potential crackdown on illegal immigrants.
Trump will assume the presidency on Jan. 20, 2025.