President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. —PPA POOL
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrived here on Tuesday morning for a two-day state visit to boost trade, investment, and economic relations between the two countries.
The President, accompanied by First Lady Liza Aranetra-Marcos and the Philippine delegation, arrived at the Brunei International Airport at 9:10 a.m.
READ: Marcos leaves for 2-day state visit to Brunei
Joining the President in his trip are Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, Transportation Secretary Jaima Bautista, Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacadac, and Presidential Adviser on Investment and Economic Affairs Frederick Go.
On his first day here, Marcos will hold a bilateral meeting with Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah at his official residence at the Istana Nurul Iman and will meet the Filipino community in this capital city.
Brunei, a predominantly Muslim country rich in oil and gas, is home to about 25,000 Filipinos.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Marcos would witness the signing of several memorandums of understanding in the sector of agriculture, food security, maritime cooperation, and tourism.
On his second day, the President will join a business forum where he would meet with top members of the business sector “to promote trade and investment relations between the Philippines and Brunei Darussalam,” according to Foreign Affairs spokesperson Undersecretary Ma. Teresita Daza.
Assistant Secretary Aileen Mendiola-Rau of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Asian Pacific Affairs said the Philippines wants to “focus on economic cooperation,” citing that Brunei is “a powerhouse in terms of energy.”
In January this year, Marcos also visited Brunei to attend the royal wedding of Bolkiah’s son, Prince Abdul Mateen.
After his trip to Brunei, the President will immediately fly to Singapore to speak at the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier defense summit.
This will be the first time a Philippine president will speak at the forum.
READ: Marcos to go on back-to-back Singapore and Brunei trips next week
The President will be in Singapore from May 30 to 31.
“The dialogue will provide a good platform for defense ministers, military chiefs, government officials and security experts around the world to discuss and address regional and global security challenges,” Daza said.
Dr. Bastian Giegerich, director-general and chief executive of the IISS, earlier said that the Philippines, under Marcos, “has elevated its contribution to regional stability and security.”
Previous speakers at the summit include Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The summit, which is a gathering of defense ministers, military leaders and senior defense officials, including business leaders and security experts from across the Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America and beyond is expected to draw 550 delegates from 40 countries “to discuss critical security challenges,” according to IISS.
“Through this platform, the Philippines will have the opportunity to provide these stakeholders an important source of accurate, objective information on international strategic issues important to the region,” Daza said.
READ: LIST: Pres. Bongbong Marcos’ overseas trips from 2022-2024
While in Singapore, Marcos will also meet with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, according to Daza.
Marcos will also have a brief meeting with former Prime Minister and currently Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue.
The President’s visits to Brunei and Singapore are his 27th and 28th overseas trips since he assumed office on June 30, 2022.