Manila, Feb. 19 -- Since taking the helm, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., the chief architect of the country's foreign policy and the main spokesperson for international affairs engagements, has dramatically transformed and reinvigorated relations between the Philippines and the United States (US).

Now midway through his term, the President has consistently shown his appreciation and grasp of the country's strengths and vulnerabilities, as natural disasters and regional political storms swirl around the archipelago.

This should not come as a surprise. In his second State of the Nation Address delivered on July 24, 2023, President Marcos declared: "Our independent foreign policy - a friend to all and enemy of none - has proven effec...