01 September 2022 – President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. will undertake his inaugural State Visits from 4 to 7 September 2022.
His first state visit as President will be to Indonesia from 4 to 6 September 2022 upon the invitation of Indonesian President Joko Widodo. The visit will be highlighted by the first meeting between the two leaders who are expected to discuss the two countries’ active and multi-faceted cooperation on defense, maritime, border, economic, and people-to-people cooperation. They will also exchange views on major issues affecting the region and the world.
Indonesia, the largest economy in Southeast Asia, is the current President of the G20, a strategic multilateral grouping of major developed and emerging economies. It is also the incoming Chair of ASEAN next year.
During the state visit, 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.
The President will also meet with business leaders to promote trade and investment to support the Philippines’ economic agenda under his administration.
After the visit to Indonesia, the President will head to Singapore for a State Visit from 6 to 7 September at the invitation of President Halimah Yakob.
President Marcos, Jr. will have separate meetings with the Singaporean President and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to discuss the close bilateral relations between the two countries, as well as regional and global issues. President Marcos, Jr. and Prime Minister Lee will also witness the signing of agreements in the areas of counter-terrorism and data privacy.
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 President will also meet the Filipino communities in Indonesia and Singapore to personally assure them of the government’s continuing commitment to protect their rights and promote their welfare as overseas Filipinos.
The President’s back-to-back visits to Indonesia and Singapore as his inaugural overseas trip demonstrate the importance the Philippines places on relations with fellow ASEAN neighbors.