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What you need to know about President Marcos’ visit to Indonesia, Singapore

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MANILA, Philippines – Over two months after he started his term, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr is set to embark on his first state visits. 

The President will be flying into Indonesia on September 4 then will head to Singapore on September 6. Both visits are state visits, or a visit of one head of state to another. 

According to the Philippine Foreign Affairs department, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Singaporean PresidentHalimah Yacob invited Marcos to visit their respective countries. 

“A close neighbors and founding members of ASEAN, the Philippines enjoys active engagement with both Indonesia and Singapore in terms of myriad areas including security and defense, trade and investment, people-to-people exchanges and more,” said Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson Teresita Daza during a press briefing on Friday, September 2. 

What can we expect from Marcos’ four-day visit to our Southeast Asian allies? Here’s what you can expect and watch out for, based on briefings from the DFA and the Palace. 

Who’s going? 

While Malacañang has yet to release the full list of officials who will be part of the official delegation to Indonesia and Singapore, President Marcos is sure to be accompanied by Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and his economic team – Finance Chief Benjamin Diokno, Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Secretary of Budget and Management Amenah Pangandaman, Secretary of National Economic and Development Authority Arsenio Balisacan, and Bangko Sentral of the Philippines Governor Felipe Medalla. 

Who will Marcos be meeting? 

A lot of people. To begin with, Marcos will meet Indonesia’s Widodo. According to a DFA release, the two are “expected to discuss the two countries’ active and multi-faceted cooperation on defense, maritime, border, economic, and people-to-people cooperation” and “exchange views on major issues affecting the region and the world.” 

President Marcos is expected to raise the case of Filipina Mary Jane Veloso, who has been jailed in Indonesia since 2010 after she was duped into being a drug mule. 

Both Marcos and Widodo will witness the signing of agreements between the two countries, including a “comprehensive Plan of Action that will chart the countries’ bilateral priorities over the next five years.” 

Meetings with business leaders – the identities of whom Malacañang has yet to disclose – are also set to happen during his visit to Indonesia. 

In Singapore, Marcos will have separate meetings with Singaporean President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Marcos and Lee will also witness the signing of agreements between the Philippines and Singapore, including those on counter-terrorism and data privacy. 

Marcos will also be meeting with Filipino communities in both Indonesia and Singapore. 

What agreements are going to be made? 

Agreements signed on the sidelines meetings of heads of state are typically ones that have been long negotiated and finalized. 

The Plan of Action with Indonesia “will layout comprehensive and actionable roadmap for bilateral cooperation over the next five years,” according to Daza. “Areas of cooperation” include: security and defense, border management, counter-terrorism, economy, energy, maritime affairs, culture, education, labor, health, and consular matters. 

The Philippines and Indonesia will also renew a 1997 Agreement on Cooperative Activities in the Field of Defense and Security – a framework for defense and security cooperations between the two countries. The two countries will also be signing a memorandum of understanding on cultural cooperation. 

In Singapore, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Singapore Armed Forces will be signing an arrangement that would assignment a team to the regional counter-terrorism information facility or the CTIF. According to Daza “the Philippines can share its experience and expertise in addressing or combatting terrorism” by deploying a Philippine officer to the information facility. 

The Philippines’ National Privacy Commission and Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Commission will also be signing a memorandum of understanding on personal data protection. 

What issues will be raised? 

The DFA and the Palace have deferred from speaking specifics for the most part, but, upon prompting, have mentioned issues Marcos is likely to raise during his meetings with the heads of state.

In Indonesia, of course, Marcos is expected to raise the case of Mary Jane Veloso. 

Both in Indonesia and Singapore, the topic of tensions in the West Philippine Sea is likely to come up. “There will clearly be discussions on key regional issues of mutual interest, including the West Philippine Sea or South China Sea issue, cognizant that all three countries are actually – had the common goal to maintain peace and stability and prevent incidents in this particular part of the world – in this part of the world,” said Daza. 

Other “regional and global developments” will also be raised during their meetings. 

Finally, why Indonesia and Singapore? 

Philippine presidents traditionally visit a Southeast Asian country for their first state visits. 

Aside from the two being fellow founding Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) members, there are country-specific points that make Indonesia and Singapore obvious choices for Marcos’ first state visits. 

Indonesia is the largest economy in the region and is the current President of the G20. Indonesia is also set to be the chair of ASEAN in 2023. 

Singapore, meanwhile, is a “key trade and investment partner of the Philippines,” according to Daza. Singapore is the Philippines’ 6th largest trading partner and was the top source of approved investments in 2021. Singapore is also the Philippines’ second-largest source of remittances from Overseas Filipino Workers – over 200,000 Filipinos live and work in the city-state. – Rappler.com

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State Visit of His Excellency Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr., President of the Republic of the Philippines, 6 to 7 September 2022

05 september 2022.

His Excellency Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr., President of the Republic of the Philippines, will make a State Visit to Singapore from 6 to 7 September 2022, at the invitation of President Halimah Yacob. The visit reaffirms the warm and longstanding ties between Singapore and the Philippines, which are underpinned by strong cooperation across many domains and flourishing people-to-people ties.

President Marcos Jr. will be accompanied by First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos, Cabinet Secretaries, and senior officials.

On 7 September 2022, President Marcos Jr. will receive a ceremonial welcome at the Istana, and call on President Halimah, who will host a State Lunch in his honour. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will also meet President Marcos Jr. and host him to breakfast. President Marcos Jr. and Prime Minister Lee will  jointly witness the exchange of several bilateral agreements that will further strengthen cooperation in the areas of counter-terrorism and data privacy, among others. President Marcos Jr. and First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos will have a new orchid hybrid  Dendrobium  Ferdinand Louise Marcos named in their honour.

.    .    .    .    .

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

5 SEPTEMBER 2022

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a ministry of the Government of Singapore responsible for conducting and managing diplomatic relations between Singapore and other countries and regions.

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Bongbong Marcos arrives in Singapore for second leg of initial state visit

Pres. Ferdinand Marcos during his speech before the Philippine Nurses Association Inc on its 100th anniversary. Image from Bongbong Marcos / Facebook

RIVER VALLEY, Singapore — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has arrived here for the second-leg of his initial state visit, where he is expected to meet with the Filipino community along with the city-state’s leaders and business sector.

The plane carrying Marcos and his delegation landed on Tuesday afternoon, at 12:45 p.m., information from the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) stated.

The President, along with members of the First Family including First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, their son Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Alexander Marcos, and other key cabinet officials are scheduled to meet with around 2,000 Filipinos in Singapore within the day.

On Wednesday, the First Couple are expected to be at the Singapore Botanic Garden for a brief ceremony where an orchid would be named after them — in accordance with tradition and honor bestowed on past Philippine presidents.

Marcos will then formally meet with the city-state’s leaders on Wednesday, particularly with Singaporean president Halimah Yacob and prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, before sitting down with the business sector for several deals.

It is unclear how many deals and agreements would be signed between Marcos and the Singaporean government’s representatives, but Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson and Ambassador Teresita Daza said in the pre-departure briefing last Friday that two deliverables are being envisioned.

According to Daza, the first deliverable is the agreement regarding the Philippines’ fielding of a team to the Counterterrorism Information Facility (CTIF), while the second is a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on data privacy and protection cooperation.

“In terms of the deliverables for Singapore, there are two that’s being envisioned, one is the arrangement concerning the assignment of a team to the regional Counterterrorism Information Facility, or what is called the CTIF. This will be signed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines as well as the Singapore Armed Forces,” Daza said last Friday.

“The CTIF is a multilateral platform for monitoring, research, and analysis of terrorist activities. By deploying a Philippine officer, the Philippines can share its experience and expertise in addressing and combatting terrorism, at the same time gather valuable intelligence from other countries and expand our defense network,” she added.

Daza also noted that under the MOU on data protection, safe digitalization efforts of both countries would be supported by promoting information sharing. The agreement would be signed with Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC).

“The second deliverable is the MOU on cooperation in personal data protection, which will be signed by the national privacy commission or NPC, and the Personal Data (Protection) Commission of Singapore,” she said.

“For this MOU, what is being envisioned is the strengthening of the digitization efforts of both countries by engendering trust in cross-border data flows and helping protect the data privacy — of for example, the Filipinos — in the digital era and encouraging greater participation in the Philippine digital economy,” she added.

The DFA official also said that certain issues involving the two countries, like the West Philippine Sea issue, may also be discussed by the leaders as both countries share the same goal of maintaining peace in the region.

“Aside from discussing bilateral relations, there will be an exchange of views on regional and global developments,” Daza explained.

“And as all are actually leaders and members of Asean, there will clearly be discussions on key regional issues of mutual interest including the West Philippine Sea or South China Sea issue cognizant that all three countries actually have the common goal — to maintain peace and stability and prevent incidents in this particular part of the world,” she added.

Marcos arrived in Singapore fresh from recently-concluded discussions in Indonesia, the other leg of his first state visit as Philippine President.

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Indonesian Pres. Joko Widodo with Pres. Ferdinand Marcos and First Lady Liza Marcos during Marcos’ first state visit. Image from Bongbong Marcos / Facebook

During his visit to Indonesia, the Chief Executive met with Filipinos working and staying in that country, before meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

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Bongbong marcos sees strong partnership with indonesia , bongbong marcos to go on state visits to indonesia, singapore; us visit being ‘worked out’, marcos to meet with filipino communities in indonesia, singapore during state visits .

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Marcos Jr. arrives in Singapore for 2-day state visit

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Philippine President Marcos to make state visits to Indonesia, Singapore in September

MANILA - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr is set to fly to Indonesia and Singapore in early September, following in the tradition of past leaders who visit South-east Asian nations for their first official trip.

Mr Marcos' press secretary Trixie Angeles-Cruz said on Friday (Aug 19) that the President will first visit Indonesia from Sept 4 to 6, before heading to Singapore from Sept 6 to 7.

Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Mr Marcos' upcoming visit at the invitation of President Halimah Yacob.

"We look forward to welcoming President Marcos to Singapore," a spokesman said.

In May, Madam Halimah had sent her congratulations to Mr Marcos after he won the presidential election.

"I recall fondly the warm and gracious hospitality extended to me by the Filipino people during my state visit to the Philippines in September 2019. I look forward to working with you to strengthen the friendship between our two countries," Madam Halimah had written.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had likewise congratulated Mr Marcos and noted the "deep and longstanding ties" between Singapore and the Philippines.

"As fellow founding members of Asean, we share a similar outlook on key regional and global developments, and work closely to promote regional peace and prosperity," PM Lee said.

Mr Marcos is also expected to visit the United States, which counts the Philippines as one of its oldest treaty allies in Asia, at a later date.

He said in June that he is keen to attend the United Nations General Assembly, set to be held in New York from Sept 13 to 17.

US President Joe Biden has also invited Mr Marcos to visit Washington.

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FILE PHOTO: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will go to Indonesia and Singapore for his state visits next month , the Palace announced Friday.

Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said the state visit to Indonesia will happen from September 4 to 6, while his visit to Singapore will happen on September 6 to 7.

“Iko-confirm ko rin lang po yung dalawang state visit to indonesia at tsaka to Singapore…  Actually wala pa tayong masyadong detalye pero kino-confirm namin na tuloy pa rin po ito,” Cruz-Angeles said in a press briefing.

Meanwhile, Cruz-Angeles said Marcos’ visit to the United States for the United Nations (UN) General Assembly is still being “worked out.”

“As for the visit doon sa US, it’s still being worked out. Although nagsabi ang Pangulo that he will be going. So we will release the details on this as they come in,” Cruz-Angeles said.

The UN General Assembly will also happen in the U.S. next month.

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Bilateral agreements were signed during Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr's state visit to Singapore.

SINGAPORE: Singapore and the Philippines are looking to boost cooperation in areas like counterterrorism, the digital field and personal data protection with the signing of several bilateral agreements on Wednesday (Sep 7).

The exchange of agreements was witnessed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr during his two-day state visit, which started on Tuesday.

A joint communique on the recruitment of Filipino healthcare workers was also signed.

It will pave the way for the "continued deployment of Filipino healthcare professionals to Singapore as well as greater bilateral cooperation in the field of healthcare", according to a joint press statement released by Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

During his visit, Mr Marcos called on President Halimah Yacob. 

The Philippine president and his wife, First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos, also had a new orchid hybrid, the Dendrobium Ferdinand Louise Marcos, named in their honour at the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

In the press statement, MFA noted that Mdm Halimah, Mr Lee and Mr Marcos welcomed the "wide-ranging and robust cooperation" between both countries, including in trade and investment, counterterrorism, healthcare and digital cooperation.

The following bilateral agreements were signed during the visit:

• Arrangement concerning the assignment of a team to the Regional Counter-Terrorism Information Facility in Singapore between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Singapore Armed Forces;
• Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in the field of digital cooperation between the Department of Information and Communications Technology of the Philippines and the Ministry of Communications and Information of Singapore; 
• Memorandum of Understanding for collaboration on the development of New Clark City; 
• Renewal of the MOU on cooperation in personal data protection between the National Privacy Commission of the Philippines and the Personal Data Protection Commission of Singapore; 
• Renewal of the MOU on water collaboration between the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System of the Philippines and the Public Utilities Board of Singapore (PUB).

Both sides also discussed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and recognised the importance of closer cooperation "to enable both countries to emerge stronger together from the pandemic in an inclusive and sustainable manner," said the statement.

"The leaders reaffirmed the strong people-to-people ties which have always been the core of the bilateral relationship," it added.

"Our peoples share close bonds of friendship and amity which have continued to flourish even during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the restoration of travel links following the easing of the global COVID-19 situation."

President Halimah also expressed Singapore’s appreciation for the contributions of Philippine healthcare workers to Singapore's fight against COVID-19. 

During their meetings, the leaders of Singapore and the Philippines exchanged views on key regional and international developments.

They emphasised the importance of strengthening ASEAN centrality and unity, deepening regional economic integration including through digital transformation, and upholding rules-based multilateralism to promote peace and stability in the region.

Both sides reiterated ASEAN’s consistent position on the South China Sea and reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, security, stability, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in and above the South China Sea.

On the situation in Myanmar, the leaders reiterated the call for all political detainees, including Aung San Suu Kyi, to be released.

"They also expressed deep disappointment at the limited progress in and lack of commitment of the military authorities to the timely and complete implementation of the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus, including the lack of cooperation by the Myanmar military authorities to facilitate the ASEAN Special Envoy to engage in constructive dialogue with all parties concerned," said the joint statement.

"The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to supporting ASEAN’s efforts in alleviating the humanitarian situation in Myanmar."

On Tuesday, Mr Marcos met with some members of the Filipino community at the National University of Singapore.

There are more than 200,000 Philippine nationals in Singapore.

Mr Marcos is on his first overseas trip as president. He visited Indonesia before travelling to Singapore.

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Business meetings, agreements, and an orchid: Marcos makes State Visit to Singapore

SINGAPORE --- President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. will have his hands full once he arrives here for his two-day State Visit.

Marcos is set to undertake his first State Visit to Singapore from September 6 to 7, 2022. He will be joined by First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos, Cabinet Secretaries, and other senior officials.

Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said the visit "reaffirms the warm and longstanding ties between Singapore and the Philippines, underpinned by strong cooperation across many domains and flourishing people-to-people ties."

Upon arriving here on Tuesday, September 6, the President will meet almost 2,000 members of the Filipino community at the National University of Singapore.

The following day, the first couple would visit the Singapore Botanical Gardens, where an orchid will be named after them.

Marcos will likewise receive a ceremonial welcome at the Istana and call on President Halimah Yacob, who will host a State Lunch in his honor, according to the Singapore MOFA.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will also meet President Marcos and host him for breakfast. Lee will also join Marcos in witnessing the exchange and signing of several bilateral agreements on counterterrorism and data privacy.

Marcos will attend the Philippine economic briefing hosted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the Department of Finance (DOF).

He will likewise grace a roundtable hosted by the Department of Trade and Industry.

Marcos is expected to return to Manila late Wednesday after completing his back-to-back state visit to Indonesia and Singapore.