The Philippines' close ties with the United States will remain strong with US President-elect Barack Obama's leadership as it was in the previous administration, President Arroyo said Friday.

Mrs. Arroyo said that she is looking forward to working with Obama, seeing no major changes in US policies in the country.

“As a result of that conversation and other public statements that he has made about US-Philippine relations, I remain very confident that the relationship between the two nations will move forward, strong as ever,” she said Friday after arriving from the United Nations interfaith dialogue in New York.

In a letter sent to her last June, the President said Obama cited the history of alliance between the two counties during the World War II and the Gulf War, as well as in the fight against fascism and terrorism.

“The Philippines remains a steadfast ally of the US,” she said as she underscored that the ties between the Philippine and American people are deeply rooted in shared history and values, as well as in a shared commitment to global peace and security.

Mrs. Arroyo underscored the ties between the two coutries, saying that such are deeply rooted in shared history and values, as well as in a shared commitment to global peace and security. She added that the country shares common interest with the US in issues such as climate change, food security, and food reduction.

“That’s our (RP and US) common interest that we could work together,” she added.

Through the United States Agency for International Development, which provides economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide, the US government continues to support the ongoing Mindanao peace process in order to make the region “a welcoming place for development and investment.”

The US also backs the Philippine Defense Reform Program (PDR), which is designed to enhance the capabilities of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), as well as the government's anti-corruption efforts and fiscal reforms through the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) Threshold Country Program.