WASHINGTON DC — Like the underdog in the boxing ring, the Philippines “punches above its weight” in the world stage.

This was how US President Barack Obama described the Philippines’ role in the international arena as he designated the Southeast Asian ally as the US liaison in forging reinvigorated relations in the region.

In tapping the Philippines as the country coordinator between the US and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Obama praised President Arroyo for her "good progress" in fighting terrorism, achieving peace in Mindanao as well as her “strong voice” against human rights violations in Burma, and the proliferation of nuclear power in North Korea.

Obama and Mrs. Arroyo met behind closed doors for 30 minutes at the White House last Thursday afternoon (Friday in Manila) where they also agreed to reinforce partnership against terrorism, combat climate change, and expand economic cooperation, particularly wider access to certain Philippine agricultural products into the US.

The two leaders, seated on flanking chairs behind a fireplace, then delivered separate statements to members of the press for another 13 minutes before Mrs. Arroyo left the White House. A small group of militant activists protested outside the White House while the two leaders were holding their first meeting.

“I am looking forward to my travels to Southeast Asia, and the Philippines will be the coordinating country in the U.S. relationship with ASEAN, the primary organization — strategic organization for Southeast Asian countries,” Obama said in his remarks.

Obama did not say if he will visit as part of her upcoming tour in Asia although he has been invited by President Arroyo to stop by.

President Arroyo, speaking to reporters a few hours later, however said Obama may visit the Philippines “sooner or later.” “The President is a very busy person and there’s a lot of demand to his time so it’s very good that very early on he already invited us to be the first Southeast Asian leader to= meet,” she said.

In the meeting, Obama praised the visiting Philippine leader for her efforts to fight terrorism and restore peace in Mindanao, which he believes “has the potential to bring peace and stability to a part of the Philippines that has been wracked by unrest for too long.”

Obama also expressed gratitude to the Philippines’ “strong voice” on regional issues such as its condemnation of the human rights abuses in Burma and North Korea's nuclear program. He noted that the Philippines would host a conference next year on nuclear proliferation.

“We’re going to have a busy agenda together working to reduce the threat of nuclear weapons, improving the multilateral partnerships in Asia that can create greater security and greater prosperity for all countries,” he said.

He said Washington is also grateful for the “outstanding contributions” the Philippines has made with respect to United Nations peacekeeping around the world.

“Although the Philippines is not the largest of countries, it, in using a phrase from boxing, punches above its weight in the international arena, and we are very grateful that President Arroyo has visited us here today, and we are looking forward to using this meeting as a way of launching even greater cooperation between our two countries in the years to come,” he said.

Buoyed by the praises given by the American leader, President Arroyo, in turn, thanked the US government for its economic assistance as well as its aid to professionalize the Philippine military.

Mrs. Arroyo, clad in a red dress suit, also expressed gratitude to Washington’s support for “soft power” that helped build roads, schools, and bridges back home, which have enabled Manila to make progress in efforts towards a negotiated peace in Mindanao.

“I was very happy to let President Obama know that the Muslim secessionists have agreed, together with a Philippine government panel, to work towards a resumption of formal peace talks, and we’re very thankful for the international community, including the US, for their assistance in bringing us to this stage,” she said.

Mrs. Arroyo said her country also supports the US efforts in Burma and North Korea. She also cited Obama’s leadership on climate change, which she claimed was important to the Philippines, one of the countries that will be severely hit by climate change.

She also thanked the Obama administration for the inclusion of the veterans’ benefits in the fiscal stimulus package, which has been waited for the last six decades.

“We thank the Obama administration for the new engagement in our part of the world, and we look forward to a stronger relationship between the U.S. and ASEAN and, bilaterally, a stronger relationship with our two countries,” she said.

President Arroyo, in a later media interview at her hotel suite, also welcomed the country’s new role as coordinator for the US-ASEAN relations.

“Well it’s something that the US recognizes of how important for them and from what I can see, what you will see, President Obama appreciates that role because there’s so many things we agree on. For instance, we agree on Burma, North Korea, we agree counter terrorism based on our cooperation and we agree with economic integration between America and Asia,” she added.

She said Washington also committed to sustain its cooperation with Manila in fighting terrorism, particularly through intelligence sharing and other forms of cooperation.

The two leaders also tackled economic matters during their meeting at the Oval Office. Mrs. Arroyo said she raised the Save-Our-Industries Act pending in the US Congress, which she could provide the Philippines a larger market for its products like textiles.