Security tops President Marcos’ agenda in Oahu

Philippines’ President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrives for the leaders and spouses dinner during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Week at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, California, on November 16, 2023. The APEC Summit takes place through November 17. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / Agence France-Presse)

HONOLULU — Regional security and the Philippine-US alliance are expected to top the agenda of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s visit to Hawaii before flying back to the Philippines on Sunday (Monday in Manila).

The President, who arrived in Hawaii after attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in San Francisco, is set to meet in Oahu with top officials of the US Indo-Pacific Command, led by Admiral John Aquilino, the highest-ranking military commander in the Asia-Pacific region.

He was scheduled to have a tour and orientation of the capabilities of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, the merged bases of the US Air Force’s Hickam Air Base and the US Navy’s Naval Station Pearl Harbor.

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He is also set to participate in a roundtable meeting at the Daniel Inouye Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies, a US defense department institute named after the famed US senator from Hawaii.

Marcos is expected to discuss regional developments, the Philippines’ security challenges and the critical role of the Philippine-US alliance in regional security.

Marcos’ visit to Hawaii is the last stop of his weeklong trip to the United States, following his attendance at the 30th Apec Economic Leaders’ Meeting and related activities in San Francisco and his working visit to Los Angeles, both in California.

Marcos arrived on Saturday night at the Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, Hawaii, along with first lady Lisa Araneta-Marcos. The plane carrying the president arrived at 7:13 p.m. (Hawaii time).

—NESTOR CORRALES