At least four diplomats have made their courtesy call to presumptive president Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. on Monday, March 23.
Japanese Ambassador Koshikawa Kazuhiko, South Korean Ambassador Kim Inchul, Indian Ambassador Shambhu S. Kumaran, and United States Chargé d’Affaires Heather Variava were the envoys who met with Marcos in his headquarters in Mandaluyong.
Marcos Jr. is set to be proclaimed as the 17th President of the Philippines on June 30 following his landslide win with over 31 million votes based on the official tally released by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC).
Both ambassadors from Japan and South Korea have declined to grant interviews after their respective meetings with Marcos, saying that they have to attend other engagements.
Meanwhile, Indian ambassador Kumaran told reporters that the focus of their discussions earlier is about the bilateral relationship between India and the Philippines.
When asked if China-related issues were discussed, the envoy said it was not brought up during their meeting.
Despite this, Kumaran said India looks forward to working with the Philippines "towards capacity building and capability development of the Philippine Armed Forces."
"We do believe that under the modernization program of the AFP, there are potential areas where Indian companies can be competitive. We work closely with the Armed Forces and the Department of National Defense to take forward this partnership in the new administration," he said.
The series of courtesy visits come a week after several heads of state sent their congratulatory messages to Marcos through calls or official correspondence.
