THERE will be no radical shift in the alliance between the Philippines and the United States under the administration of US President-elect Donald Trump, a geopolitical analyst said Saturday.
In a Saturday news forum in Quezon City, De La Salle University professor Don McLain Gill said that the Philippine-US alliance has become consequential to the interests of both countries.
“I don’t expect any radical shift in our alliance, particularly in the field of defense and security. Let me tell you why. The Philippine-US alliance today has become so consequential that they can trust both the Philippines and the United States,” Gill said.
“Now, one of the major challenges is that Trump is known to be transactional. What does that mean? What does that mean for us? When we talk about transactionalism, Manila would need to endeavor to position itself effectively within Trump’s transactional perspective of international politics,” he added.
Gil said the Philippines and the US have also institutionalized their partnership as a hub for cooperation between and among like-minded partners with key US allies in the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean.
He said that European countries were also increasingly looking at the Philippine-US ties as a fulcrum for their interest in the Indo-Pacific.
“We have shown that we are active stakeholders in the Indo-Pacific’s maritime domain to maintain the rules-based order, and we are more than happy to work with like-minded countries within the region and beyond,” Gill said.
Gill said the Philippines needed to enhance its level of negotiation with the US, making sure that the dialogue between the two countries remains “open and consistent.”
He said the Philippines must let the Trump administration know that “our issues are not just our issues but also issues that greatly concern and affect US interests.”
“We need to get that on the table as much as possible to maintain consistency in policy direction,” he said, adding that it was an “undeniable fact” that China was the “most consequential challenge to US interests” in the Indo-Pacific region.
On defense cooperation, Gill said that it was a possibility the US military presence in the country would be sustained or even enhanced under Trump’s leadership.
“But again, that would also depend on how well we are able to indicate that this is our interest as well. To ensure that Trump understands that our concerns are also the concerns of the US, the broader concerns — that would add more momentum, you know, our ability to get it on the table at a personal level with Trump is important as well,” Gill said.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier congratulated Trump for winning the presidential elections in the US.
Marcos expressed full commitment that the Philippines will continue to partner with the US and looked forward to working with Trump.
“We look forward to working with President Trump on a wide range of issues that will yield mutual benefits for two nations with deep ties, shared beliefs, a common vision, and a long history of working together,” he said.
The Philippines and the US have a long history of cooperation in various fields, such as defense and security, trade and investment, food and energy security, renewable energy, climate action, digital transformation, infrastructure development, and humanitarian assistance.
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