President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was able to establish a “personal connection” with United States President-elect Donald Trump during their first phone conversation, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez said.
“Meron nang personal connection. Importante ‘yan dahil first of all, any new leader kailangan as quickly as possible merong personal relationships kaagad” Romualdez told NewsWatch Plus in an interview.
He said Marcos even offered to visit Trump at his Florida estate in Mar-a-Lago.
“We asked the Trump transition team if we could schedule a meeting actually. We were saying that if President Trump, President-elect Trump, would be accepting the heads of state to see him, I think President Marcos would be happy to come to Mar-a-Lago. Mainly because I think President Marcos is planning a trip to Dubai sometime at the end of this month,” said Romualdez.
However, the Trump team advised postponing visits ahead of his inauguration in January.
“It would be very difficult for the President-elect since he was also busy putting up his cabinet. So sinabi nila we would just schedule it which we obviously were very respectful of,” Romualdez added.
Romualdez mentioned Trump’s connection with the president’s mother, former First Lady Imelda Marcos.
“I think it is because meron silang connection dahil kay Mrs. Imelda Marcos, no? The mother of the President, the new President Trump from way back because of many activities that she had when she used to go to the UN in New York where there were several events or parties that Mrs. Marcos was invited. She also went to New York quite often during the time when they were in exile in Hawaii for her case and many other things and President Trump knew Mrs. Marcos. So I think that it’s important for us to note the personal connection of the Marcos family, specifically Mrs. Marcos and of course even President Marcos himself, President Marcos Jr.,” said Romualdez.
Romualdez said the phone call between the two leaders signaled a continuity in US policies toward the Philippines.
“President Trump is well aware of the strategic importance of our relationship. Sabi nga niya noon, diba, when he went to the Philippines for the ASEAN Summit in 2017, the Philippines is one of the most prime real estate in Asia. Meaning to say, we’re strategically and geographically located in the center of Asia, which is very important,” said Romualdez.
