“In addition, we will work together Militarily. It was a Great Honor to be with the President. He is Highly Respected in his Country, as he should be. He is also a very good, and tough, negotiator,” Trump wrote in his post.
The final terms of the deal have yet to be officially confirmed by the Marcos government.
The White House is facing an Aug. 1 deadline to raise tariffs on dozens of trading partners, unless they negotiate new agreements with the Trump administration.
The Philippines has a substantial trade relationship with the U.S., sending $14.1 billion in goods to the U.S. last year. The double-digit tariff rate — two percent higher than the duty Trump initially levied — raised immediate questions about what benefits the Southeast Asian country gets from the deal.
“It is sad that for the Philippines the rate even went up — as an ally it is hard to take,” said a Filipino official close to the negotiations, granted anonymity to speak freely.
