This has been circulating online, and many Filipinos don’t seem impressed with the news. Before the president's visit, the tariff was 20%, and now it's 19%. They're calling it a “significant win,” but for real - is it?
we impose lower tariffs (or even none at all) on U.S. products entering the country. so what exactly are we celebrating here?
Feels like we’re being taken for a ride, hyping up something that barely scratches the surface.
Almost like clapping for a clown just because he managed to entertain us so well.
https://www.philstar.com/business/2025/07/23/2460120/marcos-1-reduction-us-tariff-still-significant-achievementMANILA, Philippines — After a historic visit to the White House yielded just a 1% reduction in US tariffs on Philippine goods, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. still called it a win.
The tariff rate, previously at 17%, was raised by US President Donald Trump to 20% before Marcos’ visit.
Marcos met with Trump and other US officials to discuss defense and trade matters, with the Philippine side hoping to secure lower tariff rates.
“I can already tell everyone, as it’s come out already, that we managed to bring down the 20% tariff rate for the Philippines to 19. Now, 1% might seem like a very small concession. However, when you put it into – in real terms, it is a significant achievement,” Marcos said in a media interview released on Wednesday, July 23.
Marcos attributed the “special relationship” between the US and the Philippines.