President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. witnessed on Thursday the signing of the Philippines-Korea Free Trade Agreement (PH-KR FTA), which is a milestone for enhanced partnership between the Philippines and South Korea.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. praised the World Bank on Thursday for realigning its programs to better address emerging challenges in the post-pandemic setting, particularly with its partnership with the Philippines.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday reported a fruitful outcome of his participation to the 43rd ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Jakarta, Indonesia, where he advanced the country’s interest in the regional gathering.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. reiterated the steadfast commitment of the Philippines to a rules-based international order as he called on members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United Nations (UN) to respect and uphold international laws to address challenges to peace, stability, and security in the region.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. expressed gratitude to Australia for supporting the stance of the Philippines in the South China Sea issue and for its aid to ASEAN on education, defense, health, and digital transformation.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. underscored on Thursday the need to create conditions for diplomatic solutions to the threats posed by the nuclear weapons in the conflict in Ukraine and the recent surge of ballistic missile tests by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to rally and take action over the “dangerous use” of coast guard and maritime militia vessels in the South China Sea as he asserted the country’s sovereign rights and maritime jurisdiction in the Philippine waters.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. welcomed the suggestion of Vietnam for a five-year rice importation arrangement, saying it would stabilize rice supply and pricing in the Philippines amid the current volatility in rice supply.

The Philippines is looking forward to a stronger partnership with Cambodia in the areas of food security, trade and commerce, and people-to-people exchanges, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said on Thursday.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. recognized on Thursday the efforts of India to support the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in calling for peace and stability in the South China Sea as he recognized its significance and influence in the ASEAN community.