Filipinos hope for a change in relations with the United States under Biden

MANILA, Philippines – While Philippine officials did not expect major changes in the country’s relations with the United States with the election of former US Vice President Joe Biden, many expect substantial deviations from the policies pursued by current President Donald Trump.

“A Biden presidency will most likely normalize and stabilize economic relations, including trade and investment, and diplomatic relations with the world, including the Philippines,” economist Ernesto Pernia told the Inquirer on Sunday.

Biden won the election after counting 279 votes in the electoral college over 214 votes for Trump.

Trump, however, is challenging the result in court.

“Although the Republican philosophy used to be more liberal on trade, this was not the case for Trump,” added Pernia, former head of the National Economic and Development Authority.

The Inquirer sought comment on Biden’s victory from President Rodrigo Duterte’s economic team, but Finance Secretary Carlos Domínguez III said the group would instead cede Duterte and the Department of Foreign Relations.

Legislators opinion

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, on the other hand, said he did not expect any immediate change in the country’s relations with the United States, but expressed his confidence that Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. would protect Philippine interests. in Washington.

The congressmen expressed what they hoped to change in the policies advocated by Trump during his term, in particular the trade war with China and the migration of Filipino workers.

Albay’s representative, Joey Salceda, said that “a revitalized US presence in Southeast Asia under a more global-looking Biden presidency will likely make China more inclined to be on the good side of the Philippines in the Western Philippine Sea problems , so that we don’t get any closer to the US. “

Surigao del Sur’s representative, Johnny Pimentel, also hoped that the United States would once again become “more welcoming” to foreigners, including Filipino migrant workers.

Under the Trump administration, the US Department of Homeland Security imposed a one-year ban on the issuance of nonimmigrant work visas (H-2A and H-2B) to Filipinos from January 19, 2019 until January 18, 2020, citing an excessive stay and concerns about human trafficking.

Shortly before the ban expired, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services released on January 16, 2020 a new list of countries whose citizens are eligible to receive H-2A and H-2B visas in 2020, but the Philippines was excluded.

Climate policy

So far, Biden has not set any political direction, except on climate change.

“Biden not only recognizes the science that Trump does not recognize, but he has been personally involved in climate change issues for many, many years,” said environmental lawyer Antonio La Viña, who heads the Manila Observatory at the Ateneo de Manila.

On November 4, when the United States’ exit from the Paris climate agreement went into effect, Biden said he would rejoin the Paris Agreement, which seeks to put a cap on rising global temperatures.

But rejoining the Paris Agreement is only the first step in advancing genuine climate solutions, said Beatrice Tulagan, Asia regional organizer at the international environmental group 350.org.

“Your leadership depends on how progressive and effective your actual national goals and policies are,” he said in an interview.

Tulagan said decades of inaction by major carbon emitters, such as the United States, had exacerbated climate impacts, such as the recent Typhoon “Rolly,” which hit the Bicol region.

–With reporting from Jerome Aning, Krixia Subingsubing, DJ Yap, Nestor Corrales and Jhesset Enano

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