Marcos flies to Indonesia, first leg of two state visits
President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Sunday morning flew to Indonesia for the first of two state visits.
Marcos designated Vice President Sara Duterte to handle operations of the Office of President.
"All acts of the Vice President for and on behalf of the President pursuant to his Order shall be deemed acts of the President, unless disapproved or reprobated by the President," Marcos said in his Special Order No, 75 dated Sept. 2, 2022.
In his speech prior to his departure at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 in Pasay City, Marcos said a goal of his travels to Indonesia and Singapore will be to get new investments.
Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said last Friday Marcos will tackle the South China Sea and other regional issues in his two state visits.
"My state visits to our ASEAN neighbors will seek to harness the potentials of our vibrant trade and investment relations. As such, an economic briefing, business forums and meetings have been organized to proactively create and attract more investments and buyers for our exports, in order to accelerate the post-pandemic growth of our economy," Marcos said.
"I expect that we will be coming back with a harvest of business deals to be signed in my state visits that will further strengthen our economic ties with both Indonesia and Singapore," he added.
Marcos is visiting Indonesia from Sept. 4 to 6 upon the invitation of Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
Marcos said among those to be signed is the Philippines-Indonesia Plan of Action for the next five years, which will include agreements on defense and security, on the creative economy, and culture.
He said they will seek assistance of Indonesia on investments, particularly agriculture and energy.
Marcos fly to Singapore Sept. 6 and 7.
He will be meeting with Singaporean President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for signing of several bilateral agreements.
Marcos will also be meeting with the Filipino communities, who are staying in both countries.
Marcos is accompanied by his wife, First Lady Maria Louise Araneta Marcos, and his son, Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Alexander Marcos III.
His delegation also includes Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Felipe Medalla. DMS
