SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Sunday congratulated President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. for achieving a monumental diplomatic victory for the country and our people in his historic trilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

“On behalf of the entire House of Representatives, I extend my warmest congratulations to President Jr. for his remarkable achievement in securing a monumental diplomatic victory through the recent historic trilateral meeting with President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida,” Romualdez said.

The leader of the 300-plus-strong House pointed out that the outcome of the trilateral meeting holds immense importance for the Filipino people, our economy, and our national interest, particularly in the context of the West Philippine Sea.

“The collaboration and dialogue fostered during this meeting pave the way for enhanced cooperation in addressing regional challenges, particularly in promoting maritime security, safeguarding our territorial integrity and improving the lives of the Filipino people,” said Romualdez.

“This historic meeting signifies a strong and united commitment of the three nations to upholding the principles of international law and ensuring the freedom of navigation and overflight in the region which are vital in ensuring peace, stability and prosperity,” he added.

Romualdez noted that the Joint Vision Statement of the three leaders issued during the historic summit manifested their unity and commitment to press for observance of rules-based international order in the South China Sea amid increasing aggressive behavior by China.

“We underscore our nations’ unwavering commitment to freedom of navigation and overflight, and the importance of respecting the sovereign rights of states within their exclusive economic zones consistent with international law, as reflected in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” the Joint Vision Statement stated.

The three leaders also expressed “serious concern” about China’s dangers and aggressive behavior in the South China Sea as well as its militarization of reclaimed features and unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea.

“We steadfastly oppose the dangerous and coercive use of Coast Guard and maritime militia vessels in the South China Sea, as well as efforts to disrupt other countries’ offshore resource exploitation. We reiterate serious concern over the PRC’s repeated obstruction of Philippine vessels’ exercise of high seas freedom of navigation and the disruption of supply lines to Second Thomas Shoal, which constitute dangerous and destabilizing conduct,” the statement added.

Romualdez noted that the US and Japan also committed to continuing their support for Philippine defense modernization priorities and upgrading the capability of our Coast Guard. In addition, the three leaders also conduct more combined naval training and exercises not only among the three countries but also with additional partners.

Likewise, the statement highlighted other areas of cooperation such as greater maritime domain awareness and coast guard cooperation, sustainable critical infrastructure, semiconductor supply chain resilience, digital transformation, and energy security through harnessing renewable energy.

Speaker Romualdez said President Marcos, Jr.’s leadership and dedication to advancing the interests of the Filipino nation on the world stage are truly commendable.

“As Speaker of the House of Representatives, I reaffirm our unwavering support for the President’s efforts to promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the region,” he said.

He likewise noted that the trilateral engagement bolsters economic cooperation and investment opportunities between the Philippines, the United States, and Japan.

Romualdez said that aside from improved defense and maritime cooperation, among the major benefits the Philippines would derive from the trilateral summit include the following:

• The launching of the Luzon Economic Corridor, which will support connectivity between Subic Bay, Clark, Manila, and Batangas by accelerating coordinated investments in high-impact infrastructure projects, including rail; ports modernization; clean energy and semiconductor supply chains and deployments; agribusiness; and civilian port upgrades at Subic Bay.

• The US and Japan pledged to provide at least $8 million for Open Radio Access Network (RAN) field trials and the Asia Open RAN Academy based in Manila, to enable future commercial deployment and an open, interoperable, secure, reliable, and trusted information communications technology ecosystem in the Philippines.

• Through the CHIPS and Science Act’s International Technology Security and Innovation Fund, the United States and the Philippines will coordinate efforts to develop and expand the Philippine semiconductor workforce to strengthen the global supply chain.

• Expanded partnership on safe and secure civil-nuclear capacity building including trilateral cooperation on civilian nuclear workforce development to advance the Philippines’ civil nuclear energy program.

• Expanded trilateral cooperation on the deployment of clean energy technologies, including renewable energy projects such as solar and wind, to support energy requirements in the Philippines and help ensure a just energy transition.

Apart from securing these commitments of cooperation from the US and Japan, Romualdez noted that President Marcos, Jr. also held separate meetings with leading US firms, such as the Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC) and Google, as well as top US business leaders and officials of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Romualdez said these engagements, held on the sidelines of the trilateral meeting, manifest President Marcos, Jr.’s sustained campaign to attract more foreign investments into the country.

Philippine Ambassador to the US, Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez estimated that at least $100 billion in investments from the US and Japan may come to the Philippines in five to 10 years as a result of the historic trilateral summit.

“As we navigate the current challenges posed by the global pandemic and work towards full economic recovery, such partnerships are instrumental in driving sustainable growth, fostering innovation, and creating employment opportunities for our people,” Speaker Romualdez said.

He said the President’s diplomatic triumph serves as a testament to the Philippines’ growing stature and influence in the international community.

“Moving forward, let us continue to support President Marcos, Jr. and work hand in hand towards a future of peace, progress, and prosperity for all Filipinos.