Marcos Jr. reaffirms US ties in first 100 days of presidency

By JIM GOMEZ and JOEAL CALUPITAN
Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Saturday marks Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s 100th day in office. He has inherited daunting problems at home, including a coronavirus pandemic-battered economy, soaring inflation, and longstanding poverty. But one of his main foreign policy focuses since he took office June 30 has been rekindling U.S.-Philippines relations. Marcos Jr. is the namesake son of the dictator who was ousted in a 1986 pro-democracy uprising amid widespread human rights atrocities and plunder. Given U.S. President Joe Biden’s high-profile advocacy for democracy and human rights, more than a few have been surprised over the goodwill that has unfolded between the leaders in recent months.