July 23, 2025

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. concluded his three-day official visit to the US on Tuesday. US President Donald Trump described the visit as "beautiful." However, it appears the outcomes for Manila are not so "beautiful," delivering little in terms of substantive gains and leaving the Philippines disappointed.

Securing a favorable trade deal to shield Philippine exports from looming economic shocks was one of Marcos' top priorities during the visit. Yet, after hearing numerous statements from US officials, such as "our storied alliance has never been stronger or more essential than it is today," Marcos only received a 1 percent cut in US tariffs on Filipino goods.

On Tuesday, the US announced a trade deal with the Philippines that would put a 19 percent tariff on exports from the Philippines - a slight decrease from the 20 percent it previously threatened but still higher than the 17 percent "reciprocal" rate Washington declared for dozens of countries back in April. This minor reduction has sparked domestic and international skepticism about the real value of the so-called "storied alliance." Aries Arugay, chairperson of the Department of Political Science at the University of the Philippines Diliman, said that this one percent tariff cut is a "not so good deal" for the Philippines.

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