By Brian Jules Campued
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has vowed to build on the gains of his successful trips to Brunei Darussalam and Singapore to advance the country’s economic and security agenda.
In his arrival speech over the weekend, President Marcos highlighted his accomplishments during his visits to the Philippines’ neighbors in Southeast Asia.
“My promise to all Filipinos, we will use every opportunity and continue to build bridges that will ensure a long-lasting peace and stability in our region,” he said.
During his first state visit to Brunei, Marcos met with His Majesty Sultan Haki Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah and discussed strengthening na 40-year-old diplomatic ties between their countries as well working together to ensure peace and security in the region.
The Philippines and Brunei also signed three memoranda of understanding (MOUs) on tourism, seafaring, and maritime cooperation, while a letter of intent (LOI) on agricultural cooperation was also signed.
“In addition to these successes on the bilateral front, we also further assured Brunei it can count on the Philippines’ support on regional affairs as we stated our clear position for Brunei to establish the ASEAN Center for Climate Change,” Marcos said.
During the Philippine Business Forum, the President also urged business leaders in Brunei to regard the Philippines as “prime investment destination” and engaged potential investors in agribusiness, renewable energy, halal development, among other sectors.
These established connections, he said, are expected to yield significant commercial benefits, including increased trade and investment, enhanced market access for goods and services, and sharing of innovations in technology and best practices.
He also met with the Filipino community in Brunei where he expressed optimism that he would be able to welcome returning Filipinos with an improved airport as the rehabilitation of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport has begun.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive also met Singapore’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, adding that the former has accepted his invitation to visit the Philippines in August.
“And this is very important especially because 2024 marks 55 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. We committed to work hard in pursuing the signing of three near completion MOUs by the time the Singaporean President visits Manila later this year,” he said.
Marcos also delivered a historic keynote address at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue where he expounded on the current situation of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region. He also reiterated the Philippines’ sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the West Philippine Sea as it is the “lifeblood” of every Filipino.
“As a responsible member of the international community, I took the opportunity of the Shangri-La Dialogue to tell the representatives of at least 48 countries in front of me that the lines we draw on our waters are derived not from imagination, but from international law. Unlike others, we submitted our assertions to rigorous legal scrutiny by the world’s leading jurists,” he said.
The President also had a bilateral meeting with Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonyte and met with some members of the US Congressional Delegation to discuss future ways to improve collaboration and cooperation with other nations. – avds
