By Patricia Francia Lachica 

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. wrapped up his inaugural visits and emphasized that the Philippines, with the Governments of Indonesia and Singapore, have committed to re-strengthening its ties – especially in trade and investments. 

Upon his arrival, the president welcomed the country with a statement and said his two visits to the ASEAN neighbors were "fruitful and engaging."

"We all shared the view that in this time of geopolitical turmoil and uncertainty, unity, mutual respect, and the principle of sovereign equality should always prevail in our efforts to uphold peace and stability and an environment conducive to our continued national development," said Marcos Jr. 

He also highlighted that he and Indonesian President Widodo talked through the "delimitation of boundaries respective to continental shelves," which he also hoped to resolve conflicts in terms of territorial claims. Additionally, the two ASEAN leaders discussed importing fertilizers to the Philippines and increasing coal imports for energy supplies. 

"Our conversation covered all facets of our relations, particularly [on] defense, security, maritime cooperation, and of course trade and investment, and people-to-people ties. We renewed our commitment to stronger bilateral cooperation as fellow ASEAN members and as members of ASEAN and members of — two of the largest maritime nations in the world," he explained about his trip to Indonesia. 

Following his Indonesia first state visit, Marcos stopped next to Singapore and said that the country is the Philippines' "top trading partner in ASEAN" and the "top source of approved investments last year."

"During my State Visit to Singapore, Prime Minister Lee and I witnessed the signing and exchange of agreements on counterterrorism, personal data protection, digital cooperation, water resource management, and of course, investment, all of which contribute to our journey towards development and prosperity," added Marcos Jr. 

Citing his first state trips to both countries as a "fruitful endeavor," the president proudly announced that the Philippines, Indonesia, and Singapore also penned several letters of intent and agreements. 

"Indonesia and Singapore are key trade and investment partners of the Philippines. More notably, Singapore is our, am proud to announce that we have signed and sealed a total of 10 Letters of Intent and 12 MOUs in the sectors of: renewable energy, data centers, e-commerce, broadband technology, start-ups, government housing, and agriculture, and witnessed the signing of several Letters of Intent and MOUs from 22 Indonesian and Singaporean investors," continued the chief executive. 

Marcos Jr. totaled a "value USD 14.36 billion or P804.78 billion", which, according to him, would support the "country's economic recovery efforts and create more jobs for Filipinos in the country" from all those sealed investment agreements.

"I thank again all of you for the support that we all felt while we were out in our State Visit. And I thank everyone, not only the official delegation, but all those who had a part in making this trip a success, a very productive endeavor, and to strengthen the relationships both on political and economic levels with our two neighbors, Indonesia and Singapore," ended Marcos.