Marcos hopes meeting with US lawmakers to tackle 'geopolitical complications'

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. on Tuesday expressed hope that his meeting with the United States Congressional Delegation would be an opportunity to discuss the present geopolitical complications in the region.

''I am happy, very happy to welcome all of you to the Philippines and I hope that the time that you will spend here will be a productive time where we are able to discuss further the situation concerning the Philippines and the geopolitical complications that we are facing presently. Thank you once again for your visit,'' Marcos said during his meeting with lawmakers.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (New York), for her part, said the US is grateful to have the Philippines as an ally.

''We have such a strong friendship with the Philippines, because we have four million FIlipinos in the United States, and we consider them our brothers and sisters and our neighbors and so we are very grateful for all contributions of the FIlipino community in the United States,'' Gillibrand said.

Other US officials present were senators Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire), Roger Marshall (Kansas), Mark Kelly (Arizona), Cynthia Lummis (Wyoming), Michael Bennet (Colorado), and  Representative Adriano Espaillat (New York 13th District).

Philippine officials at the meeting include Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año, and Presidential Communications Office Secretary Cheloy Garafil.—RF, GMA Integrated News