Marcos, the first Southeast Asian leader to be hosted by President Donald Trump since his return to the White House, visited the US capital from Sunday to Tuesday for a series of talks centred on trade and security.
The trip came as Manila sought to defuse tensions over Trump’s sweeping “Liberation Day” tariff policy, which had initially imposed a 17 per cent duty on Philippine exports in April before increasing it to 20 per cent earlier this month.
The outcome – a 19 per cent tariff rate on Philippine goods alongside zero tariffs for US exports – was unveiled by Trump on his Truth Social account after holding a joint press conference at the White House.
Marcos defended the result, insisting the concession was more significant than it appeared.
