MANILA, Philippines — The United States president has congratulated presumptive president-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
A White House readout dated May 11 said US President Joe Biden already spoke with Marcos Jr. through a call and has expressed hope to expand bilateral relations between Washington and Manila.
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“President Biden underscored that he looks forward to working with the President-elect to continue strengthening the US-Philippine alliance,” the White House release said.
This includes working with the Philippines on pandemic efforts, working on the climate crisis, fostering economic growth, and “respect for human rights.”
Earlier, the US Secretary of State also congratulated Marcos Jr. and have expressed plans to “collaborate closely with the Philippines to promote respect for human rights,” along with other plans for the region.
According to partial and unofficial results accessed through the Commission on Elections’ transparency server, Marcos Jr. leads by a wide margin with Vice President Leni Robredo trailing behind by over 16 million votes.