News Analysis - Philippines gets minor US tariff cut, but defence ties remain intact

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr (left) taking a picture with US President Donald Trump at the White House on July 22, 2025. - Photo: Philippine Presidential Communications Office

MANILA: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr flew to Washington on Sunday (July 20), hoping to turn warm diplomatic ties with the US into tangible economic gains.

But instead of a breakthrough, he is returning to Manila with a modest concession: a 1-percentage point cut in the reciprocal tariff rate on Philippine exports to the US, from 20 per cent to 19 per cent.