Marcos, Cambodian PM discuss food security, more commercial flights

JAKARTA, Indonesia — President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet discussed food security and the possibility of boosting commercial flights at the sidelines of the 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit on Thursday.

“I am a great believer of multi-lateral discussions but I also give equal importance to bilateral arrangements that we might do. Once again, I’m very happy to have had this exchange and I think, as I said, we’ve already identified so many areas that we can start off with,” Marcos told Hun.

“I see that there’s so much room for growth, so much room for partnership,” he added.

According to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), Marcos mentioned the possibility of sourcing rice from Cambodia.

The Philippines, under the Marcos administration, is working on food sufficiency, especially the supply of rice, which is a staple food in the country.

The PCO said the Philippines intends to request the Cambodian government to ease the terms and conditions for rice importers in the Philippines to ensure a steady supply of the staple coming into the country.

Meanwhile, Marcos said he will look into increasing the number of flights to other destinations in Cambodia.

“I shall, as my homework when I get back, look into the possibility of our airline increasing the number of flights to other destinations in Cambodia that we would like to go to. This is something that goes both ways,” Marcos said.

Marcos likewise raised enhancing the cultural, educational, and people-to-people exchanges between the Philippines and Cambodia.

“I’m very proud of our overseas Filipino workers and the teachers who have gone abroad and places. Many who’ve come from my part of the country and we have been able to assist our allies and our partners in terms of exchange of culture and the like,” Marcos said.

Joining Marcos in the meeting were Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, House of Representatives Speaker Martin Romualdez, Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos, and PCO Secretary Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil. —VAL, GMA Integrated News