PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. expressed optimism on Saturday, June 1, 2024, that he was able to advance anew the country’s economic and security agenda during his trips to Brunei and Singapore last week.
In his arrival speech, Marcos reiterated his administration’s commitment to use every opportunity and continue to build bridges that will ensure long-lasting peace and stability in the region.
Marcos and his delegation first visited Brunei Darussalam where he met with His Majesty Sultan Haki Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah and discussed the state of the 40-year-old bilateral ties between their countries.
“This year marks 40 years of diplomatic relations between our two countries and our conversation covered many facets of our relations, from defense and security, maritime cooperation, economic cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges,” the President said.
“We aspired for stronger bilateral cooperation and to work together to ensure that peace and security reigns in the region,” he added.
The Philippines and Brunei have three memoranda of understanding (MOUs) and one letter of intent (LOI) which aims to boost the cooperation of the two countries in various sectors, during Marcos’ state visit.
The MOUs were for boosting tourism and maritime cooperation between the two countries while the other was on Mutual Recognition of Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) certificates.
The LOI was executed between the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Agriculture and Agrifood Department (AAD) of the Ministry of Agriculture of Brunei Darussalam to support the food security effort of both countries.
“In addition to these successes on the bilateral front, we also further assured Brunei it can count on the Philippines’ support on regional affairs as we stated our clear position for Brunei to establish the Asean Center for Climate Change,” said Marcos.
“While in Brunei, our key government players and business sectors engaged in productive dialogue with their counterparts. The Philippine Business Forum highlighted agribusiness, renewable energy, halal development, and opportunities in the BIMP-EAGA (Brunei Darussalam–Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East Asean Growth Area) and Barmm (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao),” he added.
Marcos also met with Brunei’s energy sector led by executives from oil and gas companies such as Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sendiran Berhad, Brunei LNG Sendiran Berhad, Total Energies in Brunei, Serikandi Oilfield Services Sendiran Berhad, and the Adinin Group of Companies.
He is confident that the connections established between the Philippines and Brunei business sectors will yield significant commercial benefits, including increased trade and investment, enhanced market access for goods and services, and sharing of technology innovations and best practices.
From Brunei, Marcos flew to Singapore where he served as a keynote speaker at the 21st International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue, which aims to provide an open, inclusive and neutral platform for the exchange of perspectives and ideas on defense and security issues in the Indo-Pacific region.
His speech centered on the equality and unity among Indo-Pacific nations amid various regional threats.
“As a responsible member of the international community, I took the opportunity of the Shangri-La Dialogue to tell the representatives of at least 48 countries in front of me that the lines we draw on our waters are derived not from imagination, but from international law. Unlike others, we submitted our assertions to rigorous legal scrutiny by the world’s leading jurists,” Marcos said.
In a media forum in Quezon City, De Las Salle University (UP) professor of International Studies Renato de Castro said Marcos made an excellent articulation of the maritime challenges of the Philippines and the developments in the Indo-Pacific region as he raised awareness on the issues confronting the South China Sea.
He commended Marcos for discussing the “seven realities” faced by Indo-Pacific nations as well as the effects of rivalry between the United States and China.
Marcos also met with Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and newly appointed Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
He said President Shanmugaratnam has accepted his invitation for him to visit the Philippines in August.
“And this is very important, especially because 2024 marks 55 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. We committed to work hard in pursuing the signing of three near-completion MOUs by the time the Singaporean President visits Manila later this year,” said Marcos.
Marcos also had a bilateral meeting with Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonyte and met some members of the US Congressional Delegation and discussed future ways to improve collaboration and cooperation among other countries. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)
