Secretary Manalo Engages U.S. Secretary of State Rubio on Philippines-U.S. Relations During Meeting in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C. 10 June 2025 — As a part of a working visit to the United States, Philippine Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss wide-ranging issues under the Philippines-U.S. partnership.

On the economic front, the Secretaries looked forward to the positive conclusion of high-level talks between Philippine and U.S. economic managers on the U.S.’s reciprocal tariffs. They also underscored the importance of stronger economic relations in building a more enduring Philippines-U.S. alliance, and promoting overall security.  Furthermore, they committed to exploring opportunities for cooperation with regional allies and partners, including trilaterally with Japan.

The Secretaries reaffirmed the importance of continued defense and security cooperation, including through support for the Philippines’ defense modernization efforts. They cited recent positive developments, including the Joint Vision Statement of the Philippine and U.S. Defense Secretaries on building our defense industrial cooperation, U.S. offers of foreign military sales to meet Philippine needs, and the conduct of the latest Balikatan exercises.

The meeting follows up on engagements of the two Secretaries early in the current U.S. administration, including a phone call in January and a meeting during the Munich Security Conference in March. Secretary Manalo was accompanied by the Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Manuel Romualdez in the meeting. END