Marcos: Keeping ties with Brunei ensures stability in Indo-Pacific region

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei - President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. emphasized the need to work with ASEAN member states and the BIMP (Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines)-East ASEAN Growth Area to ensure stability in the Indo-Pacific region. 

During his remarks at the state banquet hosted by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Marcos said keeping bilateral ties with Brunei will help maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. 

“And so, it is important that we continue to work together on bilateral basis, also together with ASEAN, with BIMP-EAGA in all of these methods by which we can plan together for our own communities, for the peace and the stability of the region,” Marcos said. 

“And not only for Asia, but for the Indo-Pacific as well. It is important that those partnerships now be brought back into the modern world. And I look forward for this state visit to once more give an added impetus and warmth and inspiration to the relationship between our two countries,” he added.

Marcos further thanked Bolkiah, the entire Royal Family, and the people of Brunei for extending to his party their warm hospitality. He also celebrated the “birth of new time” for the two countries’ bilateral ties. 

Marcos is currently in Brunei for a two-day state visit.

This coincides with the 40th anniversary of the cooperation between the Philippines and Brunei that was formalized on January 1, 1984. 

On Tuesday, Philippines and Brunei on Tuesday signed deals with the aim of strengthening ties between the two countries. 

Some of the memoranda of understanding signed were in the sectors of maritime cooperation and tourism. The other MOU signed was on Mutual Recognition of Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) certificates.

A letter of intent on agriculture and food security cooperation were also inked between the two countries.

—VAL, GMA Integrated News