Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is meeting with senior U.S. military leaders and members of Hawaii’s large Filipino community this weekend in a visit steeped in geopolitical and personal significance for the leader, but also drawing protests from a younger generation of Filipinos who point to the actions of his dictator father who died in exile in Hawaii.
Marcos, who stopped in Hawaii on his way home from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, connected Saturday evening with members of Hawaii’s large Filipino-American community before a planned Sunday meeting with Adm. John Aquilino, the top U.S. military commander in the Indo-Pacific region. Marcos is then due to deliver a talk about his nation’s security challenges and the role of the Philippines-U.S. alliance.
Protesters gathered outside the community meeting and at the airport where he landed.
Marcos’ trip comes at a time when the U.S. and the Philippines have been deepening their long-standing alliance in a shift after Marcos’ predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, nurtured cozy ties with China and Russia.
Advertisement
The Philippines this year agreed to give the U.S. access to four more bases as America looks to deter China’s increasingly aggressive actions toward Taiwan and in the South China Sea. In April, the two countries held their largest military exercises in decades.
But the trip also likely has personal resonance for the leader of the Philippines. His father, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, died in exile in Honolulu after he was ousted in a 1986 army-backed “people power” uprising.
Divide over Marcos family among Filipino Americans in Hawaii
Many Filipino immigrants in Hawaii also hail from same part of the Philippines as Marcos and revere him and his family. Filipinos are the largest single ethnic group in Hawaii, accounting for 26% of the state’s population as of the 2020 census.
Winfred Damo, who immigrated to Honolulu from Marcos’ province of Ilocos Norte in 1999, said being Ilocano means “we always support the Marcoses.”
The 58-year-old helped campaign for Marcos Jr. in Hawaii and said the president is a different person than his father and from a different era. Philippine nationals living abroad can vote in elections back home.
Advertisement
“We have a better government now in the Philippines,” he said. “Marcoses are good people. They did a lot in our country and they are the best.”
Not all are Marcos fans. Arcy Imasa organized a protest outside the convention center where Marcos met with community members on Saturday. Her aim was to help younger Filipinos learn his family’s history.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is portrayed in an effigy at a protest outside the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, to protest his visit and recall the actions taken by his late dictator father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr. The younger Marcos and current president was in Honolulu for a whirlwind trip on the way home from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco to emphasize U.S.-Philippines relations and meet with Filipino community members in Hawaii.
Jennifer Kelleher / AP
Marcos’ father placed the Philippines under martial rule in 1972, a year before his term was to expire. He also padlocked Congress, ordered the arrest of political rivals and left-wing activists and ruled by decree.
Advertisement
A Hawaii court found the senior Marcos liable for human rights violations and awarded $2 billion from his estate to compensate more than 9,000 Filipinos who filed a lawsuit against him for torture, incarceration, extrajudicial killings and disappearances.
Imasa, 40, who is part of Hawaii Filipinos for Truth, Justice and Democracy and grew up in the Ilocos province of Pangasinan, said the mindset of many Filipinos in Hawaii is fixed, especially those of older generations.
“They’re not on the right side of history. They’re not fully aware of the crimes that transpired,” she said.
US-Philippines relations amid clashes with China
Satu Limaye, the vice president of the East-West Center, noted the U.S. and the Philippines have a long, complicated relationship. He pointed to years when the U.S. ruled the archipelago as a colony, when the two nations signed a mutual defense treaty in 1951 and when the U.S. military withdrew from major bases in the country in the 1990s.
Duterte was often critical of the U.S., at times questioning the value of the alliance and demanding more military aid to preserve the pact. Under Marcos there has been a “180-degree turn” and a massive change in cooperation and coordination with the U.S., Limaye said.
Advertisement
Philippines says Chinese vessels hit two of its boats near disputed shoal
China has laid sweeping territorial claims over virtually the entire South China Sea, areas also claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.
China has clashed with its smaller neighbors and subsequently drawn in the U.S., which is Manila’s treaty ally and China’s main rival in the Asia-Pacific region. Washington and its allies have deployed navy ships and fighter aircraft to promote freedom of navigation and overflight, build up deterrence and reassure allies.
Earlier this month, dozens of Chinese coast guard and accompanying ships chased and encircled Philippine vessels during a four-hour faceoff.
Marcos in September said his country does not want a confrontation but will defend its waters after its coast guard dismantled a floating barrier placed by China at a disputed shoal.
Advertisement
Limaye said it’s important to watch how the U.S. and the Philippines manage their nations’ long and complex relationship while facing their common concern, China.
Kapalua Golf will reopen its Plantation Course in West Maui on Nov. 10, following a closure that began Sept. 2 due to dry conditions leading to poor turf health.
“We are deeply grateful for our agronomy team and the work they have done to bring the course back,” Kapalua Golf general manager Alex Nakajima said in a news release.
“As a key contributor to the Maui economy, reopening the Plantation Course means a lot for our community and the 300+ employees who work at the course and restaurants. We look forward to welcoming guests back to Kapalua Golf’s Plantation Course beginning on Nov. 10,” he said.
Reservations for November tee times are now open, and there is a reopening promotional rate of $399. Tee times for December will be available 14 days in advance of the booking date.
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 26 — US President Donald Trump shared a light-hearted moment with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim this morning, dancing on the red carpet to the tune of Hawaii Five-O as a welcoming band played at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
Trump performed his signature campaign-style dance — a slow, rhythmic movement involving air punches and hip sways — in response to the performers.
Anwar, smiling, joined in by swaying his hips in sync with the gesture, drawing cheers from onlookers.
The two leaders then shared a brief exchange before Trump invited Anwar to step inside “The Beast,” the presidential limousine, for a private moment ahead of the summit.
Advertisement
The moment unfolded shortly after Air Force One landed at Kompleks Bunga Raya at KLIA at approximately 9.54am.
Trump was greeted by Anwar along with senior government officials and Cabinet members upon arrival, and was accorded a guard of honour by personnel from the 1st Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment.
Also present was US ambassador to Malaysia Edgard D. Kagan.
Today’s visit marks Trump’s first visit to the South-east Asian region since taking office as the 47th President of the US in January 2025.
Trump is the third US president in history to visit Malaysia after Lyndon B Johnson in 1966 and Barack Obama in 2014 and 2015.
Advertisement
Wisma Putra previously said both leaders are expected to exchange views on regional and international developments of mutual concern as well as signing bilateral documents related to trade and security.
The 47th Asean Summit and Related Summits, held under Malaysia’s Asean Chairmanship 2025 theme “Inclusivity and Sustainability”, will take place from today until October 28 and are expected to be among the largest gatherings in the regional organisation’s history.
Hawaiian land snails are among the most threatened animal groups on the planet.
Researchers believe 11 species of Endodonta once lived in the wild across the Hawaiian Islands—part of a family of about 200 species. Today, it is likely the last remaining species in the Endodonta genus.
READ MORE: One Hawaiian Snail Dies, but the Conservation Effort Lives On
Bishop Museum, the State of Hawaiʻi Museum of Natural and Cultural History, houses the largest collection of Hawaiian land snails, preserving specimens, DNA, and tissues from thousands of species—many of which are now extinct. The museum’s Pūpū Ola: Kāhuli Captive Rearing Research Center not only cares for these rare species but also provides opportunities for the people of Hawaiʻi to learn about and connect with them.
Advertisement
The museum recently welcomed Hawaiian land snails believed to be the last known surviving representatives of their genus. Named Endodonta christenseni by Bishop Museum curators Dr. Norine Yeung and Dr. Kenneth Hayes and their colleagues in 2020, the tiny snail was originally discovered by the museum’s team during the Tanager Expedition in 1924—a series of five biological surveys in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands between 1923 and 1924. More than a century later, its descendants arrived at Bishop Museum’s research center on Oct. 15, 2025.
Located in Honolulu, Oʻahu, Bishop Museum is the largest museum in the state. Photo: Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority (HTA)/Tor Johnson
“Once, 11 species of Endodonta lived across the Hawaiian Islands, part of a larger family of as many as 200 species. All but this one species are now gone,” said Dr. Yeung in a news release. “Along with a single surviving relative in the main Hawaiian Islands, Cookeconcha hystricella, these two species represent our last chance to save the ancient lineages of native land snails in Hawaiʻi.”
For almost a century, Endodonta christenseni remained undescribed after its discovery. Now formally named, the species is on a path toward conservation. Bishop Museum partners with the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Snail Extinction Prevention Program (DLNR SEPP). Through this partnership, the snails are secured at Pūpū Ola, where they are protected, studied, and bred to increase their population. Eventually, the goal is to release them into the wild.
READ MORE: 10 Museums to Visit on Your Next Trip to Hawaiʻi
Advertisement
These snails embody both fragility and resilience,” Dr. Yeung said. “From Cooke’s s discovery in 1924 to our team’s work today, Bishop Museum has been at the heart of their story. Their survival reminds us that entire evolutionary lineages, millions of years in the making, are at stake. Through Pūpū Ola and our partnership with DLNR SEPP, we are building a safety net for Hawaiian land snails to ensure their stories endure for many generations.”
The public can view these rare snails at Bishop Museum’s 4th annual Kāhuli Festival on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, from 3 to 9 p.m.
The Kāhuli Festival brings together research and conservation partners, cultural practitioners, artists, and the community to celebrate and reconnect with the rich biocultural heritage of the Hawaiian Islands.
“Ke Kani Nei Ka Pūpū,” the theme of the 2025 festival, focuses on renewing and restoring cultural connections for conservation. It highlights the resilience of Hawaiian land snails in an ever-changing landscape.
The public can enjoy cultural workshops, activities, and talks by cultural practitioners, authors, researchers, and conservationists. There will also be exhibits featuring local artists, live music, and food vendors on the museum’s Great Lawn. Captive rearing exhibits will feature live endangered snails from Bishop Museum’s Hawaiian Land Snail Conservation Program and the DLNR SEPP.
Advertisement
Kāhuli Festival 2025: Ke Kani Nei Ka Pūpū, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, from 3 to 9 p.m. Reduced $10 admission for kamaʻāina and military, bishopmuseum.org.
