“Today I embark upon what I anticipate to be the first of a series of trips that I will be undertaking to our friends, our partners, our allies around the world,” Marcos said in his pre-departure speech at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport .
“My State Visits to our ASEAN neighbors will seek to harness the potentials of our vibrant trade and investment relations. As such, an economic briefing, business forums and meetings have been organized to proactively create and attract more investments and buyers for our exports, in order to accelerate the post-pandemic growth of our economy,” Marcos further said.
The two leaders are also expected to sign several agreements covering key areas such as defense and security, creative economy, and culture. “We will reaffirm our ties with fellow archipelagic nation and ASEAN co-founder, Indonesia, with whom we share an extensive maritime border in the south of the Philippines,” he added.