By Gabriela Baron
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. left the country to start his inaugural state visits to Indonesia and Singapore to boost alliances and partnership with Southeast Asian neighbors.
“So I leave to undertake my first State Visits to our immediate neighbors, Indonesia and Singapore. In other words, ako ay mangangapitbahay para sa ating bansa at para sa ating ekonomiya,” Marcos said in a departure statement at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 on Sunday, Sept. 4.
Marcos’ first stop is Jakarta, where he will meet President Joko Widodo to discuss the two countries’ bilateral relationship and the changing global geopolitical environment.
Marcos and Widodo are also set to witness the signing of several agreements, particularly on defense and security, creative economy, and culture.
Among those that will be signed include the Philippines-Indonesia Plan of Action for the next five years, which commits both countries to projects and activities covering the full range of bilateral ties.
Marcos said he would seek partnership with Indonesia for investments in critical areas such as agriculture and energy, the administration’s major priorities.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive will visit Singapore from Sept. 6 to 7 where he will meet both President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to renew the Philippines’ commitment in deepening bilateral relations, explore options for advancing economic ties, as well as discuss regional and global issues.
While in Singapore, Marcos said he would seek to harness the potential of the two nations’ vibrant trade and investment relations.
Also part of the President’s itinerary is meeting overseas Filipino workers in Singapore, which is home to 200,000 Filipinos.
He said he wants to commend them for their contributions to the economies of both Singapore and the Philippines.
“I expect that we will be coming back with a harvest of business deals to be signed in my State Visits that will further strengthen our economic ties with both Indonesia and Singapore,” he added.
