The Philippines will continue to work closely with the United States to preserve strong bilateral relations, Malacañang said Saturday, even as the US Supreme Court struck down former president Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariff policy.
In a statement, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the court ruling is not expected to significantly disrupt Philippine exports, noting that the bulk of local goods shipped to the US had already been enjoying zero tariffs even before the decision.
Castro pointed to more than ₱1 billion worth of Philippine exports bound for the US that were spared from the proposed 19 percent headline tariff under exemptions granted through an executive order issued by Donald Trump in November 2025. These exemptions largely covered agricultural and select priority products.
Finance Secretary Frederick Go, Castro said, had earlier clarified that most Philippine exports were already outside the scope of the tariff measures even before the ruling of the Supreme Court of the United States.
“We will continue to engage with the USA as it is an important trade and investment partner,” Castro said, underscoring Manila’s commitment to maintaining stable economic ties despite legal and policy shifts in Washington.
In a 6–3 decision, the US Supreme Court ruled that Trump’s global tariff regime was illegal, saying he exceeded his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The court stressed that under the US Constitution, the power to impose taxes and import duties rests solely with Congress, not the president.
Trump had invoked the 1977 law to justify imposing tariffs on nearly all US trading partners, arguing that persistent trade deficits constituted a national emergency—a rationale the court ultimately rejected.