The US military deployed the Typhon missile system in the northern Philippines last year as part of an annual joint exercise, and Filipino troops have been training with it, with plans to acquire the system as a means to protect Manila's maritime interests.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he wants to meet with US President Donald Trump to discuss defense and trade ties as well as the fate of thousands of Filipinos at risk of deportation.

The Philippine embassy in Washington, D.C. said it has not received reports of Filipinos involved in the aircraft crash in the Potomac River near Reagan National

The Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. on Thursday (Manila time) said that they have not received any report of any Filipinos involved in the air mishap near Reagan National Airport.

No Filipino has been reported hurt so far following the mid-air collision between a US military helicopter and an American Airlines commercial plane in the Potomac River near Arlington, Virginia on Wednesday (local time),

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Thursday he plans to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss various issues including immigration, in an effort to influence policy he said could impact a large number of Filipinos in the United States.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has held a first phone call with the Philippines’ foreign minister, telling him the Trump administration’s commitment to Manila is ironclad. They also discussed Beijing's "dangerous and destabilizing actions" in the South China Sea.

The newly installed Trump administration has quickly reaffirmed America’s strong support for the Philippines in the face of an increasingly aggressive China in the disputed South China Sea, despite doubts to the contrary voiced by some observers.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed Washington's commitment to Manila and condemned Beijing for its "dangerous and destabilising" actions in the Sea, in his first phone call with Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo.

The election will be referendum between pro-US and pro-China camps of the elite, and more than any other factor will be shaped by speculation over relations with Trump’s America.

MANILA must continue building its ties with other countries in the international community as Beijing is expected to continue its aggressive maneuvers in the South China Sea this year, foreign affairs and security analysts said.