Well, it happened. America has re-elected Donald J. Trump, making him only the second president in American history to serve non-consecutive terms. Now, as Filipinos, we aren’t directly affected by this, but regardless of who any of us wanted to win that election, we will now be asking ourselves – what’s next?

Well, let other people talk about the bad news, as we’d rather look at the brighter side of things. Here are just 8 things we can (hopefully) look forward to in a second Donald Trump presidency as Filipinos.

8. Strengthened US-Philippine relations

If there’s one thing President-Elect Trump absolutely is, it’s that he’s transactional. With our government clearly willing to play ball with him, the Philippines is in a position to actually have an even stronger relationship with America, seeing as the current administration is pivoting away from China and pivoting hard as it were.

7. Economic growth and job creation

Let’s face it: Trump is about to inherit a bustling Biden economy, and it will take a few years before we all feel the effects of his own economic policies, barring a few very alarming ones (Tariffs, anyone?). With this in mind, the continued growth of the economy can only lead to more OFW’s who are legally in America to remit even more to the Philippines and grow our economy further. Will this be enough to offset the estimated hundreds of thousands of undocumented Filipinos who currently also remit to the Philippines at present? Only time can tell.

6. An upswing in skilled worker demand

While the anti-immigration policies the Republican party is looking into at the moment definitely will affect more than a few Filipinos negatively, there will always remain to be an avenue for legal migration through skilled workers, that will consistently remain a thing as these skilled workers do not take away jobs from Americans, and even opens up more jobs in general. This will hold true only so long as Project 2025 doesn’t come into full effect once he is sworn in. Otherwise, legal migration will arguably be tougher than it already was during his first term.

5. The Philippines becomes America’s centerpiece in the ASEAN

Donald Trump’s “America First” policies will force him to lean heavily on his key allies, which the Philippines happens to be one of. With Trump historically never having pivoted towards being anything but frosty with China, the Philippines may find itself being enlisted to stand against China’s growing influence, while receiving the aid and treaties necessary to make that happen. Well, hopefully.

4. Increased tourism and cultural exchange

Trump at the helm could spearhead a more robust tourism exchange between the Philippines and America. While there are no guarantees when it comes to that, it stands to reason that the US would be inclined to push its allies to the forefront as destination options than going for those that might not be in line with their interests.

Again, this is not a guarantee, but we’re operating on pure copium at this point, so let’s take what we can get.

3. A mirroring of conservative values

Let’s face it: as progressive as some of us Filipinos consider ourselves to be, the “liberal” option in our last elections was actually fairly against abortion and divorce, to begin with. If the huge number of Filipino-Americans who voted for him are any indication, then that alignment of apparent values would mean that we are not alone on the worldwide stage when it comes to having very right-leaning values — much to the chagrin of those among us who are even just a bit left of center.

2. Greater representation of Filipinos in American politics

Yes, this probably means more Pinoy Republicans, but at this point, who do you expect to be politically inspired by the just-concluded elections to begin with? Having more Filipinos spread their influence through America is generally a boon to us, as they are likely to operate in our best interests. Well, likely.

1. More complete family reunions

If all else fails, they just might end up deporting so many Filipinos that our family reunions become more full than ever, right? Right?

What are your thoughts on Trump’s reelection?