(Manila Bulletin) The United States said it looks forward to working with the next Philippine President and sees to renew its cooperation with the country on key human rights and regional priorities.

In a press briefing in Washington on May 10, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said they are monitoring the election results here, adding that from a technical standpoint, the elections “have been conducted in line with international standards.”

He said while they wait for the next president to be declared, they are looking forward to “strengthen the enduring alliance between the United States and the Philippines.”

“We’re monitoring the election results, and we look forward to renewing our special partnership and to working with the next administration on key human rights and regional priorities,” Price said.

Presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos is leading the partial, unofficial count by a wide margin against rival Vice President Leni Robredo.

When asked if the US has concerns about Marcos being the president, Price said, “What I can say from a technical standpoint is that we understand the casting and counting of votes to have been conducted in line with international standards and without significant incident.”

“Again, the counting is still underway. It is not for us to declare a winner. We’ll wait for the Philippines election authorities to do that,” he added.