President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is expected to sign several key agreements and discuss bilateral relations and global issues during his state visit to Indonesia and Singapore, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
In a press statement issued on Thursday, Sept. 1, DFA said Marcos will travel to Indonesia from Sept. 4 to 6 upon the invitation of Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
It stated that the two leaders will tackle “active and multi-faceted cooperation on defense, maritime, border, economic, and people-to-people cooperation” and both will exchange views on “major issues affecting the region and the world.”
“The two Presidents will witness the signing of several key agreements in the areas of defense and culture, as well as a comprehensive Plan of Action that will chart the countries’ bilateral priorities over the next five years,” DFA said.
Marcos is also scheduled to meet business leaders to promote trade and investment to support the country’s economic agenda.
After his visit to Indonesia, he will head to Singapore from Sept. 6 to 7 upon the invitation of Singaporean President Halimah Yacob.
The agency said Marcos and Yacob together with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will have a separate meeting to discuss the close bilateral relations between the two countries, and regional and global issues.
Marcos and Lee will also witness the signing of counter-terrorism and data privacy agreements.
“As Singapore is a key trade and investment partner of the Philippines, an economic briefing and business roundtable meetings will be organized, where the President intends to invite investments into the Philippines and create more job opportunities in the country,” the foreign affairs department said.
In both countries, Marcos will visit Filipino communities to “personally assure them of the government’s continuing commitment to protect their rights and promote their welfare as overseas Filipinos.”
DFA said that the back-to-back visits of Marcos to Indonesia and Singapore as his inaugural overseas trip shows the importance the Philippines places on relations with fellow ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) neighbors.
