PRESIDENT Marcos has further deepened the country’s ties with the United States, making the relationship between the two nations promising.

Such move has apparently won for the Chief Executive relevant support from private sector leaders.

The Chief Executive recently welcomed US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, the second White House official to be received by the country in a week following US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

Blinken came to the Philippines for a diplomatic visit last March 19. His aim was to reinforce the relationship between the two countries and explore further cooperation on economic, technology, and security investments in the region.

Private sector leaders were elated over how the President handled the visits.

“PSAC supports any effort to strengthen ties between the Philippines and the United States. The U.S. government actively encouraging American businesses to invest in the Philippines is hugely beneficial for our economy, and so we are fully committed to cooperation,” PSAC strategic lead convenor and Aboitiz Group President and CEO Sabin Aboitiz said.

Aboitiz said President Marcos Jr.’s meeting with Biden was definitely promising, and they look forward to continued progress in the two countries’ bilateral relations.

Blinken visited Malacañang for a courtesy call where he met the President, the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC), and key officials to reiterate the United States’ commitment to developing the Philippines’ capabilities as its oldest ally in the Indo-Pacific region.

Ever since the President’s meeting with US President Joseph Biden Jr. last May, the two countries had achieved remarkable progress in their relationship.

“Our focus, our determination when it comes to the Indo-Pacific and our engagement there, and specifically the relationship between our countries, could not be greater, could not be stronger, could not be more determined,” said Blinken.

Last March 11-12, Secretary Raimondo led the first US Presidential Trade and Investment Mission (PTIM) to the Philippines.

She led a delegation of 22 top US businesses to meet and collaborate with Philippine business groups organized by PSAC. The mission resulted in over $1 billion investments from American companies.

“It is extremely encouraging for the Philippines that despite all of these extremely important issues that you have to attend to, that you consider the Philippines important enough to take time from all of those globally important issues to come with us in the Philippines here today,” the President remarked.

Blinken highlighted the economic partnerships between the US and the Philippines specifically praising the Philippines’ impact on the semiconductor industry. The Philippines has become the strategic partner of US in the region.

The country benefits from the US CHIPS Act, a $500 million International Technology, Security, and Innovation Fund intended to invest in the US and its partners’ semiconductor development initiatives.

Blinken said they are constantly expanding this partnership to meet bigger challenges, to seize bigger opportunities, including semiconductors.

“If you look at what the Philippines is doing in this area, it’s already extraordinary. The Philippines has 20% of the global market for assembly, for testing and for packaging,” said Blinken.

He echoed the statements made by Secretary Raimondo, who had said during the PTIM that the US will help the Philippines double its semiconductor assembly facilities.

The US will continue to strengthen ties with its partners in the region, citing the upcoming first-of-its-kind trilateral meet between Japan, the US, and the Philippines to seize bigger opportunities, Blinken added.

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