President Marcos wants to talk about important issues with US President Donald Trump in a meeting. These include tighter regulations on illegal immigrants and the US stopping to provide foreign aid.
Marcos stated that he wants to know why the United States is halting new contributions for foreign aid in an interview with reporters in Cebu. He wants to influence Trump’s immigration policies as well.
“I need to meet President Trump because we have many things to discuss, like trade, defense, security, and the new immigration policy,” Marcos said.
There is no set date for the meeting yet. If it happens, it will be Marcos’ fifth visit to the US as president.
On Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigrants, Marcos said Filipinos play a big role in the US workforce.
“We need to talk and find a solution. Filipinos in the US are an important part of their workforce. We will see how we can influence immigration policies,” Marcos said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs reported that 24 Filipinos had already been deported from the US before Trump took office.
Meanwhile, Marcos said it is still unclear what the US decision to freeze foreign aid really means.
“Even US government agencies don’t fully understand it yet. Which funds will be cut? What projects will be affected? These are challenges of a new administration,” he said.
“But over time, things will become clearer. When that happens, I can meet President Trump and discuss the issue with better understanding.”
Earlier this month, Trump signed an order to stop new foreign aid payments while reviewing their effectiveness. However, humanitarian food programs and military aid to Israel and Egypt are not affected.
National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said this will not greatly affect the Philippines’ big infrastructure projects since most of them are funded by international banks.
Last year, the US provided over $151 million in aid to the Philippines.