Marcos, Rubio discuss WPS, Luzon corridor in ‘productive’ call

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had a phone call with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday discussing top concerns of the two treaty allies, including efforts to advance peace and security in the West Philippine Sea.

President Marcos called the conversation with Rubio a “productive” engagement where they raised “critical regional and economic priorities, and bilateral trade matters.”

“Our exchange underscored our countries’ mutual commitment to strengthening the PH-US alliance and addressing shared regional interests,” he said.

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During the call, Rubio also “emphasized the strength of the United States-Philippines alliance, and the continued close cooperation as the two countries commemorate 80 years of diplomatic relations and 75 years as allies in 2026,” US Secretary of State spokesperson Thomas Pigott said in a separate statement.

The United States also reaffirmed its commitment to developing the Luzon Economic Corridor, as well as “exploring ways to address the energy challenges in the region.”

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The Luzon Economic Corridor is a trilateral initiative of the United States, Japan, and the Philippines.  

It engages partners—including Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, the Republic of Korea, Sweden, and the United Kingdom—to create mutual economic growth, generate jobs, strengthen connectivity, and improve transport and logistics, energy, and digital infrastructure along the corridor connecting Subic Bay, Clark, Manila, and Batangas.

Among the programs under the Luzon Economic Corridor is the creation of a 1,600-hectare industrial hub under the Pax Silica initiative of US President Donald Trump.

To be located within New Clark City in Tarlac, the “historic” Economic Security Zone (ESZ) has been described by the US government as a “new model” for “AI-native investment acceleration hubs” being developed across allied nations. /mr