Marcos first Philippine president to set foot on US Indo-Pacific Command

HONOLULU - President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday (PH time) became the first Philippine president to visit the US Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii.

National Security Adviser Eduardo Año told GMA News Online he does not recall any other Philippine president who has visited the military headquarters.

“I don't remember any past president who visited IndoPaCom or previously called PaCom. It's only PBBM,” he said.

Presidential Communications Office Secretary Cheloy Garafil also confirmed that Marcos is the first Philippine president to set foot on the US military base.

Año has said the issue on the West Philippine Sea will be discussed during the visit.

Año, a former chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said the "visit manifests the importance of our enduring alliance with [the] US in the face of numerous geopolitical issues in the Indo Pacific region."

Marcos' visit to the Indo-Pacific Command will take place amid the ongoing tensions in the West Philippine Sea.

China has since continued its aggression in the resource-rich region as it refuses to recognize the arbitral ruling that invalidates its massive claim in the area.

The Philippine government has been filing diplomatic protests against these Chinese hostile actions. —KG, GMA Integrated News