The Philippines will continue to be a responsible neighbor by working to ensure peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific Region guided by the rules-based international order, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said during a meeting with American officials in Hawaii.

“My message has always been firm, simple, and clear: the Philippines will continue to be an engaged and responsible neighbor – always finding ways to collaborate with the end goal of mutually beneficial outcomes, namely, peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific Region,” he said during the Daniel Inouye Speaker Series at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies.

“It is through working together, guided by the rules-based international order, that we can ensure an environment that will allow our countries and our peoples to prosper. That has been the raison d’être for my foreign policy of peace,” he said.

The President, however, acknowledged the many challenges on the road toward a peaceful and prosperous future, such as the nuclear arms and space race among the big powers.

Nations are also caught between the dual challenge and opportunity presented by advanced and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI).

“Smaller countries like the Philippines are grappling with the need to enhance our security capabilities alongside allies and partners and amidst larger regional players,” Marcos said.

Marcos said he and US Indo-Pacific Command (Indopacom) officials had a candid exchange on regional developments and the critical role of the Philippines-US alliance in promoting peace, safeguarding the international law-based order, and ensuring resilient, sustainable and inclusive growth.

Honolulu hosts the headquarters of Indopacom.

The long-standing partnership between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Indopacom have resulted in enhanced coordination, interoperability and individual and joint defense capabilities, enabling both sides to uphold their commitment to their treaty alliance, especially in the face of growing and evolving regional and global security challenges.

Marcos is in Hawaii for a brief working visit, following his attendance to the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in San Francisco, California last week.

He is expected to arrive in Manila on Monday evening. (PNA)

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