Marcos to visit Brunei, Singapore next week

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. will leave the country for Brunei Darussalam and Singapore next week to have a state visit and participate in the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue, respectively.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said First Lady Louise "Liza" Araneta-Marcos would accompany the President on these foreign trips.

Marcos will have bilateral meetings with the Brunei Sultanate and meet the Filipino community  in Bandar Seri Begawan. 

"The President will be traveling to Brunei on [the] 28th to 29th of May to undertake his first state visit to the Sultanate. While in Brunei, the President will be meeting with His Majesty, the Sultan, who is also Sultan Head of State of Brunei Darussalam,'' DFA spokesperson Teresita Daza said at a Palace press briefing.

Economic cooperation will be the focus of discussions between Marcos and Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Daza said.

"Without preempting the discussions between the two heads of states... we want to focus on economic cooperation. As you know, Brunei is a powerhouse in terms of energy, but they are also a good market for us," Foreign Affairs Office of the Asian Pacific Affairs Assistant Secretary Aileen Mendiola-Rau said at a Palace press briefing.

Mendiola-Rau said the DFA is already finalizing the texts for the several memorandums of understanding (MOUs) that will be signed during the state visit.

"I can inform you that the MOUs that we are working with the Brunei side would include priority areas ranging from agriculture to food security, maritime cooperation, tourism," she said.

Daza also said there would be business forums and meetings where Marcos is expected to promote trade and investment relations between the Philippines and Brunei.

"The President will also meet with the Filipino community where he will highlight contributions of more than 20,000 Filipinos currently residing in Brunei," she added.

Defense summit speaker

Meanwhile, Marcos will deliver the keynote address at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, which will take place in Singapore on May 31.

The President's speech will mark the opening of the 21st edition of the dialogue, which is Asia’s premier defense summit.

According to Daza, the dialogue will provide a good platform for defense ministers, military chiefs, government officials, and security experts around the world to discuss regional and global security challenges.

Foreign Affairs Office of the Asian Pacific Affairs Assistant Secretary Aileen Mendiola-Rau said that Marcos is the first Filipino president who will have a keynote address at the dialogue.

''That's why it's a very distinct honor for the President,'' Mendiola-Rau said.

Mendiola-Rau said other heads of state and parliamentarians are also expected to attend the defense summit.

''We expect several side meetings during the Shangri-La Dialogue,'' she said.

Previous keynote speakers included Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Meanwhile, Daza also said that Marcos would meet Singapore's new Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the sidelines of the dialogue. —VAL/VDV, GMA Integrated News