US to work with new gov't, says Philippine elections followed int'l standards

The United States said it looks forward to working with the next Philippine president "on key human rights and regional priorities" and added that last Monday's elections were conducted according to international standards and without any major incident.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price told the media in Washington that once the next president is officially proclaimed, the US will work "to strengthen the enduring alliance between the United States and the Philippines.”

“We're monitoring the election results and we look forward to renewing our special partnership and to working with the next administration on key human rights and regional priorities," Price said Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila).

Asked if the US has any concern with Ferdinand Marcos Jr. possibly being the next president, Price replied: "What I can say from a technical standpoint is that we understand the casting and counting of votes to have been conducted in line with international standards and without significant incident."

"The counting is still underway. It is not for us to declare a winner. We'll wait for the Philippines election authorities to do that. We look forward to working with the president-elect on the shared values and the shared interests that have united our countries across generations," Price said.

Based on unofficial and partial election returns received by the church-backed election watchdog Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting and authorized media outlets via the Commission on Elections Transparency Media Server, Marcos Jr., 64, son and namesake of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos who was ousted in a People Power revolt in 1986, is leading the presidential race with a landslide margin over his closest challenger, Vice President Leni Robredo, and eight other candidates.

Price said the US sees no change in its relations with its key Asian ally, saying "it is an enduring alliance that is rooted in a long and deeply interwoven history that shares democratic values and interests and strong people-to-people ties between our countries as friends, as partners, as allies."

America, he added, will also continue to collaborate closely with the Philippines "to advance a free and open, connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient Indo-Pacific region."

"We'll also continue, as I said before, to promote respect for human rights and the rule of law which is fundamental to US relations with the Philippines and in other bilateral contexts as well," Price said. —KG, GMA News