Philippine President Marcos Jr. to Stay at Blair House for Summit with President Trump in DC

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will stay at the historic Blair House across the White House in Pennsylvania Avenue during his three-day visit to Washington for his first-ever meeting with US President Donald Trump later this month, Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro said Monday.

The famous residence is the official guest house of the US President for visiting heads of state and other dignitaries and has hosted notable world leaders, including Queen Elizabeth II and Nelson Mandela, according to the White House website.

Heads of states and governments are usually invited to the guest house 'at the pleasure of the President,' it added.

Blair House also serves as the temporary home of the president-elect before the inauguration ceremonies in preparation for the administration’s move into the White House.

'Just wanted to say that it is President Trump who invited President Marcos to this meeting and probably the first if I am correct the first among the ASEAN leaders who have been invited by the president to the White House. It is an official visit, but he will be staying in the presidential guest house, the Blair House, so that means something,' Lazaro told reporters in her first press briefing as Secretary of Foreign Affairs.

Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez, in a separate interview, said Marcos' official working visit was relayed to the Philippine Embassy in Washington with the invitation for him to stay at Blair House.

The Blair House complex has approximately 109 rooms, including 15 guest rooms, each with a full bathroom, three formal dining rooms, two large conference rooms, a hot and cold kitchen, a beauty salon, an exercise room, and an in-house laundry facility.

Details of the summit between Marcos and Trump are still being finalized, Lazaro said, but defense and security amid increasing Chinese aggression in the disputed South China Sea, US tariffs and economic cooperation are likely to figure in their discussions.

America has repeatedly vowed to defend the Philippines - its long-time treaty ally in Asia - against armed attacks on Philippine forces, vessels, or aircraft, including those of the coast guard, anywhere in the South China Sea,

The US, Japan, and the Philippines forged a trilateral bloc to boost security, economic and investment engagements. Such alliances would help Japan and the Philippines, which both face similar territorial disputes with China, diversify their trading engagements as a buffer in case the disputes spill into the economic front.

The Philippines has deployed a trade delegation to the US this week to continue negotiations after the Trump administration increased its tariff on the Philippines to 20% unless a deal is reached.