Continuously strengthening the alliance and friendship between PH and the US

Last May, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. visited the White House and met with US President Joe Biden. In a White House statement, Biden reaffirmed the “United States’ ironclad commitment to the defense of the Philippines, and the leaders discussed efforts to strengthen the longstanding US-Philippine alliance.”

According to the White House, the meeting between the two leaders presented an opportunity to “deepen economic cooperation and promote inclusive prosperity, expand (both) nations’ special people-to-people ties, invest in the clean energy transition, address the climate crisis, and ensure respect for human rights.” Indeed, there are several areas of cooperation that both nations can focus on to make significant strides.

Today, we celebrate the bond between our two nations on July 4, as it marks Philippine-American Friendship Day. This date also holds an immense significance for our American friends as well, as it is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

Historically, it was on July 4, 1946 when the US recognized the independence of the Philippines. According to the Official Gazette, “Philippine independence was marked by Manuel Roxas retaking his oath as president, eliminating the pledge of allegiance to the US required prior to independence. Independence Day thereafter was celebrated on July 4 each year until 1962 when President Diosdado Macapagal issued Proclamation No. 28, moving the date of Philippine independence from July 4 to June 12, the date independence from Spain was proclaimed by Emilio Aguinaldo in Kawit, Cavite.”

The observance of Philippine-American Friendship Day can be traced back to 1955, when President Ramon Magsaysay signed Proclamation No. 212, establishing “Philippine American Day.” Subsequently, during the first Marcos administration, it was renamed “Philippine-American Friendship Day.”

This day is relevant to commemorate as the US has been our country’s oldest ally in the Indo-Pacific region since 1951. Over the years, both nations have collaborated to address the challenges of the day. “The US and the Philippines are modernizing the alliance and building a strong and resilient architecture that is designed to meet emerging challenges, while routinizing joint planning and improving interoperability,” the White House said.

A tangible proof of this cooperation came when US Vice President Kamala Harris visited Palawan in November 2022, and announced $7.5 million in new assistance to “enhance the capabilities of Philippine maritime law enforcement agencies, as well as a new program to upgrade the Philippine Coast Guard’s vessel traffic management system.”
More than the historical aspect, both nations have enjoyed longstanding economic partnership. During the Marcos-Biden meet, the close economic ties between the two countries were emphasized, as both have “supported high-quality investment, good jobs, and sustained economic growth.”

“All regions of the Philippines benefit from US investment, and employees of US companies in the Philippines earn annual wages that are 50 percent above the average family’s income. US business services company Concentrix is the Philippines’ largest private sector employer, while US investment firm KKR invested $1 billion in Philippine telecom infrastructure in 2022 alone; US technology companies have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the Philippines’ semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem.”

The alliance and cooperation between the Philippines and the United States yield mutual benefits, extending far beyond the interests of the four million-plus Filipino-Americans living in the US and the nearly 300,000 US citizens residing in the Philippines. These positive developments have a global impact, and in these challenging times, the path of cooperation leads to lasting peace, and lasting peace holds the promise of prosperity for all

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