Joe Biden Invites Bongbong Marcos to U.S., Envoy Says

U.S. President Joe Biden has invited President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to Washington, the Philippines' ambassador to America said Sunday.

Biden's invitation was sent through Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, who led the U.S. contingent to Marcos' inauguration last June 30, said Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Manuel Romualdez.

"In a letter delivered by the U.S. second gentleman Doug Emhoff, President Biden invited President Marcos 'at a time when our teams can schedule it,'" Romualdez told reportr without elaborating.

Biden earlier phoned Marcos to congratulate him on his election victory, saying that he "looks forward" to strengthening the alliance between Washington and Manila, according to a White House statement.

READ: Biden Calls Marcos Jr., Congratulates Him on Election Win

Marcos has a standing contempt order in the U.S., but he may be able to enter the country due to the diplomatic immunity granted to him as head of state, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman earlier said, as quoted in an Inquirer report.

The contempt order stemmed from Marcos' refusal to cooperate with the District Court of Hawaii over a 1995 ruling that required his family to pay $2 billion of ill-gotten wealth to martial law victims.

The Philippines is a former U.S. colony and Washington's oldest security ally in Southeast Asia, a partnership that was tested by former President Rodrigo Duterte's foreign policy pivot to China.

EXPLAINER:

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