US wildfires delay Marcos, Biden, Ishiba meeting

The trilateral virtual meeting between Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., US President Joseph R. Biden, and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba was rescheduled from January 12 to January 13 at 7 a.m. (Manila time).

The postponement was requested by the US due to President Biden's need to personally oversee ongoing efforts to contain massive wildfires in Los Angeles.

The agenda for the virtual meeting was not disclosed by Malacañang, but a statement is expected after the phone call.

This meeting follows a similar trilateral summit in Washington in April last year and a maritime cooperative activity in December 2024.

The trilateral partnership between the Philippines, the US, and Japan aims to maintain peace and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region.

The partnership is expected to persist even under a potential future US administration, given its alignment with the 'free and open Indo-Pacific' concept.