'Friend to all and an enemy to none' has been the direction of the Philippines' foreign policy under President Ferdinand Marcos.
As he stressed during his first State of the Nation Address, the chief executive said that the Philippines has always been open and welcoming to all foreign friends and visitors.
Marcos also promised that the country will continue 'to promote stronger and multi-faceted relationships with other states.
"We commit to maintaining good relations with the rest of the world. As a matter of fact, it is my sincere belief that the need for strong bonds and collaboration among nations emerges in the direst of times, such as in a pandemic," President Marcos said.
"The partnerships and alliances that we make with all will provide the stability that all nations will need as we emerge into this new global economy," he added.
During his first 100 days as Chief Executive, President Marcos held dialogues with multiple foreign leaders and diplomats to build or strengthen the relationship between the Philippines and the countries that they represent.
INAUGURATION
Immediately, after his inauguration on June 30, President Marcos immediately went to work building relationships with other countries. David Hurley, governor-general of Australia, became the first foreign head of state to meet with President Marcos at the Malacanang.
On the day of his inauguration, President Marcos also met with Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Don Pramudwinai, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, and United States Second Gentleman Douglas Craig Emhoff.
Diplomats from different countries also attended the Vin d'honneur held at the National Museum of the Philippines after the inauguration of President Marcos.
A day after his inauguration, President Marcos also received various diplomats including Vietnamese Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan, Lao Deputy Foreign Minister Phoxay Khaykhamphithoune, Brunei Darussalam Second Minister of Foreign Affairs Dato Seri Setia Haji Erywan Bin Pehin Datu Pekerma Jaya Haji Mohd. Yusof, Cambodian Minister of Environment Say Samal, Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, and the United Kingdom Trade Envoy to the Philippines Richard Graham.
FIRST STATE VISIT
President Marcos has also visited other states.
His first state visit was to Indonesia, a fellow member state of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The September 4 to September 6 visit of Marcos yielded various agreements on the economy, cultural cooperation, as well as defense, and security. During his trip, President Marcos joined Indonesian President Joko Widodo in visiting state-run malls. The former also attended a ceremonial tree-planting activity alongside First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos.
After his visit to Indonesia, Marcos traveled to Singapore from September 6 to September 7, another ASEAN member-state. The President witnessed the signing and exchange of agreements on counterterrorism, personal data protection, digital cooperation, water resource management, and foreign investments
President Marcos said that his trips to Indonesia and Singapore resulted in the signing of 10 letters of intent and 12 memoranda of understanding in the sectors of renewable energy, data centers, e-commerce, broadband technology, start-ups, government housing, and agriculture. The Chief Executive said that he also witnessed the signing of several Letters of Intent and MOUs from 22 investors.
"These investments, if we put it all together, value US$14.36 billion or Php 804.78 billion. This will support our country's economic recovery efforts and create more jobs for Filipinos here in our country," President Marcos said.
UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
During his first 100 days, President Marcos also attended the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York City, United States. When he addressed a collection of world leaders, the Philippine President urged countries to resolve their conflicts through peaceful means. He also called for a united effort to address the issue of climate change.
On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Marcos met with his American counterpart, President Joe Biden.
Marcos provided assurance that the Philippines still considers the United States as an ally and a friend. He added that the Philippines feels very fortunate to have 'a very strong foundation of a very long relationship' with the Western superpower.
"We laid out the general framework of where we are going to head with the relationship between the Philippines and the United States," President Marcos said regarding his meeting with President Biden.
"I am very happy to be able to report to you that the expressions of support of President Joe Biden and our friends here in the United States have been very positive," he added.
Marcos also met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, former United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Anthony Charles Lynton Blair, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Marcos also used his visit to the United States to persuade American investors to invest in the Philippines.
OTHER MEETINGS WITH DIPLOMATS
Outside of the said events, President Marcos also attended meetings and received visits from government officials of other countries. These diplomats include:
- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi
- United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken
- Sen. Edward Markey of the United States
- Niue Prime Minister Dalton Emani Makamau Tagelagi
- Saudi Arabia Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, and
- Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe
