President Joe Biden ''reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to the defense of the Philippines'' in a bilateral meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly Thursday.

In a readout by the White House of the meeting, '' the leaders reflected on the importance of the US-Philippines alliance.''

''The leaders discussed the situation in the South China Sea and underscored their support for freedom of navigation and overflight and the peaceful resolution of disputes, '' it added.

Marcos assured the country will remain an ally of the United States in maintaining peace in Asia.

"We continue to look to the United States for that continuing partnership and the maintenance of peace in our region, in terms of the geopolitical issues that we face in this day and age," Marcos said.

Marcos also thanked the US for its support to the Philippines especially during the pandemic when it donated almost 36 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

Marcos noted the Philippines and the United States’ “very strong foundation of a very long relationship and strong relationships on various facets.”

He also expressed hope that the two countries can further strengthen their bid to maintain peace despite all the complexities that have arisen in the past few months.

“And I hope that we will be able to discuss further the roles that our two countries will play together and individually as we continue down that road,” Marcos said.

Biden sought strengthened ties with the Philippines after what he described as “rocky times” in the past.

“The relationship between the United States and the Philippines, to state the obvious, has very deep roots. We’ve had some rocky times but the fact is it’s a critical, critical relationship from our perspective,” he told the Philippine leader.

The leaders discussed opportunities to expand bilateral cooperation on a wide range of issues, including energy security, climate action, and infrastructure, the White House readout said.

''The leaders also discussed Russia’s war against Ukraine and its implications for energy prices and food security, as well as ASEAN matters, the crisis in Burma, and the importance of respect for human rights,'' it added. DMS