The Philippines and Malaysia pledged to advance their collaboration in several key areas, particularly focusing on education and the management of disaster response.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. welcomed Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Rural and Regional Development, Dr. Ahmad Zahid Bin Hamidi, to Malacañang Palace for a courtesy call on Monday.
"I had a productive meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi of Malaysia as he joined us for the first Philippine hosting of the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction," President Marcos said in a Facebook post.
The two officials acknowledged the necessity of developing a more technical and skilled workforce to adapt to a changing world and drive development.
During their meeting, they discussed how both nations can collaborate to strengthen disaster resilience and develop skilled workforces in alignment with technological advancements through technical education.
Marcos highlighted the Philippines’ “very good workforce,” calling it young, hardworking, and well-trained.
“Filipinos are used to working with foreign entities because of our diaspora. But we have to train them. After COVID everything is new. The technologies are different,” said Marcos.
He pointed out that during the ASEAN Summit, leaders concluded that a well-trained workforce is essential for a robust economy.
Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Hamidi expressed his country's interest in learning from the Philippine education system, emphasizing Malaysia's commitment to promoting Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) among students.
Regarding disaster response cooperation, Hamidi mentioned a Malaysian special group known as the SMART Team, which could be deployed to the Philippines during typhoons and other emergencies with the President’s approval.
“Of course, that is a very generous offer of assistance. Yes, thank you. Actually, we can organize that as soon as everyone is ready for that,” Marcos responded.
Last July, President Marcos carried out a state visit to Malaysia.
