MANILA—President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. announced that the United States has agreed to reduce its tariff on Philippine goods from 20 percent to 19 percent, following negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington.

“We managed to bring down the 20 percent tariff rate for the Philippines to 19. Now, one percent might seem like a very small concession. However when you put it in real terms, it is a significant achievement,” Marcos told the Philippine media delegation before departing for Manila.

The revised tariff places the Philippines as the second-lowest among Southeast Asian nations trading with the U.S., behind Singapore, which enjoys a 10 percent rate under its bilateral Free Trade Agreement. U.S. tariffs on other ASEAN countries range from 19 to 49 percent.

In a joint press conference at the White House before their bilateral meeting, Trump praised Marcos for standing firm on Philippine interests.

“We’ll probably agree to something. But he is a strong negotiator. He loves your country,” Trump said.

As part of the trade deal, Marcos confirmed that the Philippines will scrap tariffs on American automobile imports.

“Because we have a tariff on American automobiles, we will open that market and no longer charge tariffs on that,” he said.

He also noted that the Philippines will increase imports of U.S. soy products, wheat, and pharmaceuticals.

“Mas maging mas mura ‘yung gamot natin,” Marcos said.

“There’s still a lot of detail that needs to be worked out on the different products and the different exports and imports,” he added.

The United States remains one of the Philippines’ top trading partners, with over \$20 billion in bilateral trade recorded in 2024.