THE results of the historic trilateral meeting between US President Joe Biden, Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. will be beneficial to Filipinos.

Thus said Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez who accompanied President Marcos to Washington DC.

According to Romualdez, it is important that the United States and Japan have been solid in supporting the Philippines in relation to the West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue.

In the Joint Vision Statement of Biden, Kishida, and Marcos, the three leaders condemned China’s harassment of Filipinos in the WPS as well as the militarization of reclaimed features in the area.

Biden said that any attack on Philippine aircraft, naval or military vessels would result in the use of the Mutual Defense Treaty in which America would come to the aid of the Philippines.

The three leaders insisted that China should recognize the decision of the Arbitral Tribunal stating that the WPS is the Exclusive Economic Zone (EZZ) of the Philippines.

“President Marcos, Jr.’s steadfast leadership and diplomatic initiatives significantly advanced our country’s national interests, especially in upholding our sovereignty and safeguarding our territorial integrity, particularly in the West Philippine Sea,” Speaker Romualdez said.

“The commitment of the United States and Japan to support the Philippines in defending its sovereignty and promoting regional peace is a testament to the strength of bilateral and multilateral partnerships in addressing complex security challenges,” added the leader of Congress which has 300 strong members.

According to Speaker Romualdez, the trilateral meeting will also help to expedite the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

“The trilateral meeting presents a significant opportunity for strategic collaboration among like-minded allies in the Indo-Pacific region,” said Speaker Romualdez.

“I am optimistic that the discussions between President Biden, Prime Minister Kishida, and President Marcos, Jr. will pave the way for enhanced cooperation in advancing our defense capabilities and ensuring regional security and stability,” he added.

On the eve of the trilateral meeting, Speaker Romualdez said that US Senators Bill Hagerty (Republican) and Tim Kaine (Democrat), members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, filed the proposal Philippines Enhanced Resilience Act of 2024 (PERA Act) which aims to make the alliance between the two countries modernized through the security assistance provided by the US to the Philippines.

The proposal states the provision of $500 million Foreign Military Financing (FMF) grant assistance to the Philippines from 2025 to 2029 or a total of $2.5 billion.

The trilateral meeting also discussed the assistance of America and Japan to the Philippines to strengthen its microchip industry.

The three leaders said in the Joint Vision Statement that they support the semiconductor workforce development initiative.

Under the initiative, the Philippines will send students to receive world-class training at major universities in America and Japan. This will be used to boost the semiconductor supply chain of the Philippines.

“These developments hold immense promise for the Filipino people, as they are poised to significantly impact investments, job creation, business expansion—particularly online and IT-related enterprises— and overall livelihood,” Speaker Romualdez added.

According to President Marcos, it is expected that 128,000 semiconductor engineers and technicians will be created under the program until the year 2028.

America and Japan will also invest at least US$8 million for Open Radio Access Network (RAN) field trials at the Manila-based Asia Open RAN Academy.

Open RAN is a nonproprietary version of the Radio Access Network (RAN) system so that cellular network equipment of different companies can interoperate.

The goal of the initiative is to ensure that the information communications technology ecosystem in the Philippines is reliable, safe, and trustworthy. The Philippines aims to start Open RAN under the national broadband program and free Wi-Fi project.

President Marcos also got the support of America and Japan for a railway project that will connect Subic, Clark, and Batangas.

“The commitment of the US and Japan to support a railway project linking Subic-Clark-Batangas is a remarkable achievement of President Marcos, Jr. as it holds immense potential for driving economic growth and development across the nation,” said Speaker Romualdez.

Aside from speeding up the transportation of cargo, Speaker Romualdez said that the railway link will be important as it is expected to increase employment opportunities and provide opportunities to many Filipinos to earn money and strengthen the economy.