President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Singapore President Halimah Yacob (Photo from Office of the President's official Facebook page)
MANILA – Maintaining political and economic stability is among President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s reasons in visiting Singapore.
In his remarks during the state luncheon at The Istana in Singapore, Marcos acknowledged that the host country is a strong partner at the bilateral and regional levels.
“We see our future, of the Philippines as having Singapore beside us, forging ahead to the future. Singapore -- as part of our journey in maintaining political stability and economic prosperity in the region,” Marcos said.
Marcos expressed optimism that the Philippines’ ties with Singapore, both bilaterally and within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), will continue to grow and become even stronger in the coming years.
This, as he recognized the Asean’s transformation as a “strongest and most viable” political organization.
“I look forward to closer ties and stronger ties between our two countries. Our candid exchange of views, constructive discussions in the governments that were signed this morning have given us renewed optimism for an even brighter future,” he said.
Marcos, in a Facebook post, also thanked Singaporean President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for the warm welcome and the renewal of commitment to deepen the two countries’ friendship.
He vowed that his administration would make sure that the Philippines’ cooperation with Singapore in various fields would benefit the citizens of the two countries.
“Our administration will ensure that the commitments made in areas such as security, digital cooperation, personal data protection, water management, and economic development result in tangible benefits for both of our nation's people,” Marcos said.
Size does not matter
Marcos also emphasized that the Philippines and Singapore both prove to the world that the country’s strength is not measured in size but in the quality of people’s lives and the way it forges relations with other nations.
The Philippines and Singapore formally established diplomatic relations in 1969.
Singapore is a valued partner of the Philippines and a fellow Asean founding member.
The Philippines and Singapore’s bilateral relations have grown in several key areas, including trade and investment, security and defense cooperation, cultural exchanges and people-to-people relations.
The two countries’ strong friendship was manifested when an orchid was named after Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos during their visit to Singapore’s National Botanical Garden on Wednesday.
“I can say that I have been lucky to be a recipient of many honors of different sorts around the world. But never have I had a beautiful, such a beautiful orchid named after myself and the First Lady, thank you very much,” Marcos said.
Singapore’s developed economy opens more opportunities for over 200,000 Filipinos working and residing in the host country. (PNA)
