Marcos holds phone call with US Secretary of State Rubio

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday morning had a phone conversation with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

This was according to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).

In a Facebook post, Marcos said that he and Rubio talked about regional and economic priorities, as well as bilateral trade matters.

“I had a productive phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio this morning, during which we discussed critical regional and economic priorities, and bilateral trade matters,” the President said.

“Our exchange underscored our countries' mutual commitment to strengthening the PH-U.S. alliance and addressing shared regional interests,” he continued.

US State Department Spokesperson Thomas Pigott, meanwhile, said the discussion of the two also included matters in relation to the South China Sea.

“Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke today with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to discuss a range of bilateral economic and security priorities, including efforts to advance peace and security in the South China Sea,” Pigott said in a statement.

“The Secretary reaffirmed U.S. commitment to developing the Luzon Economic Corridor and exploring ways to address the energy challenges in the region,” he added.

Pigott said that Rubio also stressed the strength of the US-Philippines alliance and the continued close cooperation of the two countries as they commemorate 80 years of diplomatic relations and 75 years as allies this year. —AOL, GMA News