MANILA – Ahead of one of America’s most contentious-ever votes, one Eastern position is doubling down with confidence in its alliance with Washington.
Regardless of whether Trump or Harris wins the presidency, the Philippines is optimistic in stark contrast to crucial European and Asian capitals, where there is little sway over the path of American foreign policy.  ,
Because Republicans and Democrats agree that China must be contained, including in the South China Sea, the Filipino corporate elite believes that relations with their one mutual defense treaty alliance will continue to be stable, if no significantly, in the coming years.
If anything, Manila is very enthusiastic about the chance for even stronger bilateral relations if former US president Donald Trump wins the election.
Back in the US, however, Filipino-Americans are also among the staunchest of his followers with minority parties. The Filipino-American group has a significant impact on the outcome of the approaching elections thanks to their significant presence in swing states like Nevada.
” With President Trump, an allied partner needs to play an ( active ) role”, Philippine Ambassador to Washington, Jose Romualdez, told this writer earlier this year.  ,” And we will]surely ] do our part. We must collaborate to serve our individual goals. ]And ] our Republican friends have been very appreciative of]us playing a more proactive role ]”, he added.
The long-term prospects for diplomatic ties are promising for the Philippines ‘ best minister to Washington, who also happens to be a second cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ” Whether it’s a Republican or Democratic, we may do our part”, he argued, emphasizing bipartisan support for strong diplomatic relations for the foreseeable future.
The country of Southeast Asia is speaking the language. Despite China’s vehement opposition, the Philippines has made it clear that it will continue to host America’s state-of-the-art weapons systems, most notably the Typhon missile system, under an expanded Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement ( EDCA ) regime.
In addition, the Southeast Asian nation is strengthening its trilateral ties with the US and Japan, as well as other important Western partners from Europe to Australia, who are interested in exploiting the Philippines ‘ enormous potential as a major materials supplier and semiconductor manufacturing site.
The Marcos Jr. management has good reason to feel comfortable about its “personal politics” with either of the two individuals. By all accounts, Vice President Kamala Harris had a successful trip to Manila in soon 2022, just weeks after Marcos Jr’s opening.
Harris was able to establish a rapport with vital political parties in the Philippines during the journey, and she was honored to receive acclaim from the security apparatus for her visit to Palawan, a province on the edge of the South China Sea, as well as for her interaction with journalists and civil society organizations with an emphasis on human rights and democracy.
As president, Harris would have ideal ties with important allies like the Philippines because of her Eastern American history and instinctive experience with the Asian region.
When the two demagogues were at the height of their power, Rodrigo Duterte’s relationship with Donald Trump has been extensively covered.
There is even a fantastical story among Trump followers that the transfer of a nationalist to the White House was fundamentally alter diplomatic relations in their pursuit amid the political unrest between the Dutertes and Marcoses.
However, the Marcos Jr. management has every reason to be confident in its ties to a Trump 2.0 president. After all, the Marcoses have had a half-a-century-long partnership with the original real estate mogul.
While former First Lady Imelda Marcos and the famous Filipino community shared an intimate friendship during their seventies in Manhattan, according to reports, the famous Filipino community also owned a Trump tower in America. Not to mention that both Trump and Marcos Sr. had the same social branding strategies and battle managers.
Beyond attitudes and close relationships, what binds the US and the Philippines is shared political passions, especially their concern for China.
” We have very powerful bipartisan support from both the Republicans and Democrats”, the US ambassador to Washington, Jose Romualdez, told this writer. ” Our mutual interests are at stake, ]and ] we have same interests in stabilizing the region”, he added, underscoring his optimism about continuity in bilateral relations due to shared interests.
With Kamala Harris, the Marcos Jr management expects consistency in the Biden administration’s international policy, which has focused on building a coalition of like-minded colleagues in the Indo-Pacific to preserve China’s interests in check.
With Trump, nevertheless, some Filipino managers expect an even more Asia-focused and Sino-skeptic international policy, which could directly benefit the Philippines.
Top Trump administration planners, some of whom are expected to retake important positions in the coming year if Republicans win the White House, have officially advocated for a foreign policy that appeals to China hawks in Manila.
Past US deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger has argued for a more strategic approach to contain China. Others like Elbridge Colby, one of the chief architects of the Trump administration’s National Security Strategy ( NSS) at the Pentagon, have identified the Philippines as key partner for America’s grand strategy against China.
The Philippines is a “frontline” state that deserved the most American military and proper assistance in the face of a secessionist China, according to Colby, who served from 2017 to 2018 as deputy assistant secretary of defense for plan and power growth.
Robert O’Brien, a previous US national security adviser, has also made related arguments.  , “]T] he United States may concentrate its Pacific politics on allies such as Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and South Korea, standard partners such as Singapore, and emerging ones such as Indonesia and Vietnam”, he argued in an oft-cited Foreign Affairs part.
” Congress may help build up the military forces of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam by extending to them the sorts of grants, loans, and arms payments that the United States has long offered Israel. The Philippines, in particular, needs fast aid in its conflict with Chinese troops in the South China Sea. The army should start a crash course to repair abandoned ships, including battleships and amphibious assault ships that are currently awaiting service in Philadelphia and Hawaii, before donating them to the Philippines, he suggested.
Regardless of whether Republicans or Democrats are in power in the White House, the Philippines is constantly preparing for more defense cooperation with the US. On the one hand, it’s doubling down on security cooperation with various important nations like Japan and not just the US.
The US-Japan-Philippines Trilateral Cyber and Digital Dialogue was held on the heels of Singapore International Cyber Week’s 9th anniversary next month.
The US Ambassador at big for Cyberspace and Digital Policy Nathaniel Fick, Jeffrey Ian Dyer, the Philippine Undersecretary for Infostructure Management, Cybersecurity, and Upskilling, and Yukio Saita, Japan’s Deputy Assistant Minister for Cyber Security and Information Technology Management, were among those present.
” During the speech, officials discussed multilateral assistance in cyberspace, including human cybersecurity capacity building, cybersecurity workforce development, maritime security, and data sharing”, the US State Department said in a statement.  ,” The United States, Japan, and the Philippines will continue to work together to enhance international cyberspace stability, data security and privacy, and cyber and digital capacity building in the region”.
The three allies are also focusing on supply-chain resilience and strategic economic cooperation. Both Japan and the US are quickly upgrading and upgrading their capacity for semiconductor production. The Philippines, however, provides a unique opportunity for enhancing America’s “de-risking” strategy vis-à-vis China.
As the world’s second-largest producer of nickel, the Southeast Asian nation is positioning itself as a chief’ China-free ‘ provider of critical minerals for EV battery production. This is crucial because Chinese companies control almost every EV supply chain in the neighboring countries of Indonesia and Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.
Additionally, the Philippines wants to become a major producer of more sophisticated semiconductors and a potential design and packaging hub for Taiwanese neighbors, who are also major chip-making nations.
 ,” We are a trusted partner right now, we provide a major destination for semiconductor production”, Romualdez told this writer, when asked about strategic economic cooperation under a future US president.  ,  ,
Just as crucial is the Philippines ‘ decision to welcome an ever-larger American military presence and, accordingly, host state-of-the-art weapons systems which could target China-based missile systems in the event of any conflict in the region, including over Taiwan.
The Philippines ‘ 25th Infantry Division’s commander, US Major General Marcus Evans, stated in a statement following the Philippines ‘ announcement to permanently host the Typhon missile system, which has a range of up to 1,600 kilometers (994 miles ), which gives it the opportunity to understand how to use that capability.” This is very unique to any other place in the region,” said Evans.
” ]We have been conducting ] incredibly important operations]together ] because you get to work in the environment, but most importantly, you’re working alongside our partners here in the Philippines to understand how those will be integrated into their operations]in the event of a contingency ]”, the US general added after the US and Philippine armies conducted major wargames last month to underscore growing interoperability and joint preparedness for any future regional conflict.
Follow Richard Javad Heydarian on X at @Richeydarian