By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
On the heels of a five-day working visit to Singapore from Oct. 7-11, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. summed up numerous engagements that he participated in.
In his arrival statement Sunday, he shared the fruits of his talks with Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, which are reflected in stronger ties between both nations and enduring momentum as members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with Singapore to assume chairship of the 11-member bloc in 2027.
President Marcos Jr. went on to share his experience as one of the guest speakers at the Forbes Global CEO Conference 2026, where he tackled key Philippine priorities such as expanding exports, improving the business environment through tax incentives and digital reforms, and advancing major infrastructure projects such as the US$20-billion Luzon Economic Corridor.
The President said, “I spoke of our drive to move up the technology ladder into research and development and to lead in regional digital cooperation, supported by a young, highly skilled, English-speaking and tech-savvy workforce.
I also emphasized our national resolve to fight corruption, strengthen digital safeguards, build strong international economic ties, firmly protect our sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea, and contribute to regional peace and stability.”
President Marcos Jr. also engaged in a dialogue with business executives involving FedEx, Mitsubishi Corporation, and Vena Energy, with investments from these businesses pivotal to the nation’s bottomline.
The Chief Executive concluded his message with some insights from his visit to the Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Institute, which broadened his understanding of how nuclear technology can be harnessed to generate electricity.
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