Marcos seeks to revitalize ties with Malaysia

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos left for Malaysia yesterday for a three-day state visit that seeks to revitalize the Philippines’ ties with its Southeast Asian neighbor.

In a departure speech delivered at the Villamor Airbase, Marcos said the state visit is an opportune time to harness the potentials of a revitalized relationship between the Philippines and Malaysia.

He noted that the two countries have long enjoyed “close economic ties supported by strong bilateral ties stretching back for decades.”

“Building on past successes, this state visit to Malaysia aims to identify new areas of synergies that can propel our partnership and serve as a roadmap for our respective agencies to work on for the mutual benefit of both our countries and the peoples of the new century,” the President said.

“I am optimistic that this state visit will nurture the foundations of a revitalized and stronger Philippines-Malaysia cooperation ahead of the celebration of our six decades of formal diplomatic relations in 2024,” he added.

The state visit to Malaysia is Marcos’ 13th official foreign trip since assuming office last year.

Marcos will have an audience with Malaysian King Al-Sultan Abdullah, who invited him to visit the country. He said the meeting would discuss how Manila and Kuala Lumpur could further deepen their partnerships through new areas of mutual interest.

The President will also meet with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to pursue areas of cooperation in priority areas that are aligned with the two countries’ respective economic agenda. The Malaysian leader visited the Philippines last March.

“In order to assist our nation’s trajectory of economic growth and to meet our economic target of 6.4 percent year-on-year gross domestic product growth this year, my visit will focus on the renewed partnerships in the fields of agriculture and food security, digital economy, tourism and people-to-people exchanges, as well as explore new avenues for cooperation, particularly in areas of the halal industry and Islamic banking,” Marcos said.

According to Marcos, the halal industry is seen to grow to a trillion-dollar industry in the international market due to expanding global demand. The state visit aims to forge synergies with Malaysia – one of the global leaders in the halal sector – for the Philippines to enjoy a share of this market, he added.

The President will also meet with Malaysian business leaders to discuss trade and investment opportunities in the Philippines.

He expressed hope that through the investment forum, roundtable discussions and business meetings organized by the trade department, “new bridges” between the two economies would be created and bilateral trade volumes and investments would increase.

Marcos will also meet with the Filipino community in Malaysia to talk about programs designed to ensure their safety and promote their well-being.

“It is also my belief that through the investments we bring in from my various foreign visits, soon, our kababayans will no longer be forced to work abroad but will have a choice to come home and find suitable work in the Philippines so that they may be reunited with their families,” he said.

Vice President Sara Duterte will serve as the country’s caretaker while Marcos is in Malaysia.

No snub

Marcos left a day after his second State of the Nation Address, where he supposedly snubbed the Vice President.

While on his way to the podium, Marcos shook hands with former president and now House Deputy Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo; Audrey Tan-Zubiri, the wife of Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and former president Joseph Estrada, who were seated in the same area as Duterte.

Some people observed that Marcos had skipped Duterte, although he greeted the Vice President in his address.

But Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin denied that Marcos had snubbed Duterte, who was the President’s runningmate during the 2022 elections.

“Perhaps that’s what you noticed but I don’t think there was a snub,” Bersamin told CNN Philippines yesterday.

“He is very very fond of the Vice President,” he added. Bersamin said the President did not immediately recognize Duterte, who was wearing a traditional Maguindanaon dress.

“I said, ‘who’s this highly placed Muslim lady?’ I asked GMA (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo). She said, ‘that’s the Vice President.’ Maybe that’s what you noticed. But there was no snub,” the executive secretary said.

‘Very good sign’

During the departure honors for Marcos, Duterte was seen sharing light moments with Speaker Martin Romualdez. The two officials were seen chatting and laughing together, scenes that did not escape the President’s notice.

“The Speaker and the Vice President canoodling is always a very good sign,” Marcos said at the start of his departure speech.

The supposed rift between Duterte and Romualdez made headlines after Arroyo was demoted from senior deputy speaker to deputy speaker. House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe had said Arroyo was replaced by Pampanga 3rd district Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr.  to “unburden” her of “the heavy load required from the position.”