President Joe Biden’s phone call with presumptive president Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. shows that the United States holds in “high regard” its alliance with the Philippines, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

The US president, who called Marcos on Thursday, seemed to be the first world leader to make a personal call to congratulate the latter on his presumptive win after the just-concluded polls.

“We welcome the congratulatory messages coming from US President Joseph R. Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. These reflect a very high regard for the alliance and an affirmation of the Philippines’ vibrant democracy as embodied by our recent national elections, which their embassy and some visiting US government officials observed first hand,” the DFA said in a statement dated May 12.

Marcos and Biden both committed to working together to further strengthen the Philippine-US alliance and broaden their cooperation on issues of mutual interest and concern, the DFA said.

Among the areas of cooperation the US wants to focus on are post-pandemic recovery, addressing the climate crisis, promoting broad-based economic growth, and human rights. (PNA)