MANILA – Lawmakers on Sunday night welcomed a two-man congressional delegation from the United States (US) marking the ongoing effort from both countries to strengthen long-standing bilateral ties.
According to a news statement from the office of Speaker Martin Romualdez, Senator Imee Marcos and Representatives Rachel Arenas (3rd Dist., Pangasinan), Stella Quimbo (2nd Dist., Marikina), and Tsuyoshi Anthony Horibata (1st Dist., Camarines Sur) met with the bipartisan US congressional delegation composed of Rep. Seth Moulton (Massachusetts-Democrat) and Mike Waltz (Florida-Republican) at the West Room of Manila Golf and Country Club in Makati City.
Marcos and Arenas head the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the Senate and the House of Representatives, respectively.
The visit of the US legislators, who are both members of the US House Committee on Armed Services, happened as 2,550 US Marines and their 630 Filipino counterparts began the first stage of their two-week joint military exercises – the first under the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
The PH-US congressional delegations meeting took place on the heels of the Sept. 22 bilateral meeting between President Marcos Jr. and US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Biden reaffirmed the commitment of the US to the defense of the Philippines during the bilateral meeting. In addition, they discussed the situation in the South China Sea and underlined their commitment to freedom of navigation and overflight as well as the peaceful resolution of conflicts.
Marcos and Biden also addressed ways to strengthen bilateral collaboration on a variety of issues, such as energy security, climate action, and infrastructure, as well as the Ukraine-Russia conflict and its ramifications for energy prices and food security, among others.
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