US Commerce chief: We choose to prioritize Philippines

The United States government reaffirmed its commitment to strengthen economic and trade relations with the Philippines on Tuesday.

“We are choosing to prioritize the Philippines,” US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said at a forum in Makati City.

Raimondo leads a delegation of 22 top-level American executives on a two-day investment and trade mission in the country.

The high-level trade mission was a commitment of American President Joe Biden during the official visit of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to the US last year. 

The delegation is expected to pour in over $1 billion worth of investment in the country.

Raimondo called the investment mission “historic” and “first-of-its-kind” for the Philippines.

“The message from us is: ‘We’re all in on the Philippines’,” she said.

“Why the Philippines? Because it’s special. We are engaging more economically in the Indo-Pacific region, but the Philippines is special,” she said, describing the alliance of the two nations as “ironclad” and “rock-solid.”

Raimondo also said the passage of legislation easing foreign and private sector ownership in key sectors in the country “sends a huge signal to the United States that the Philippines wants more investments.”

As a testament to America's continuous commitment, Raimondo said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken “will be here in a week or so.”

“These business leaders that I brought want to continue to show up and do more and more here,” she said.

“The United States is committed to the Philippines and is going to show up in the Philippines,” she added. —VBL, GMA Integrated News