Marcos back in Manila after Germany, Czech visits

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is back in Manila after a five-day visit to Germany and the Czech Republic.

Marcos arrived in the Philippines from the Czech Republic at 3:11 p.m. on Saturday.

In his arrival speech, Marcos detailed the country's gains during the trip, including enhancing cooperation in areas of peace and development as well as trade and investment ties. 

"Overall, I am confident that these visits to Germany and the Czech Republic have strengthened our bonds with these two countries in Central Europe and created opportunities for cooperation and prosperity," Marcos said.  

Marcos earlier reported a productive three-day state visit to Czech Republic where he met all four top-ranking government officials and forged significant memoranda of understanding (MOUs).

“So, I’m very happy to say that the little time spent here in Prague has been quite productive. And of course, it is really a real pleasure to be in this city. It’s such a beautiful city. I think you’ve seen it, it’s like walking around fairytale town,” Marcos said.

According to the Presidential Communications Office, Marcos had a productive meeting with President Pavel and First Lady Eva Pavlová, Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Czech Senate President Miloš Vystrcil and Czech Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Markéta Pekarová Adamová.

Marcos and Pavel witnessed the signing of the Joint Communique aimed at establishing a labor consultation mechanism between the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the Czech Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.

They also witnessed the ceremonial signing of MOUs between Philippine business leaders and their Czech counterparts.

Marcos had a bilateral meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, where they discussed matters such as upholding the rule of law and promoting a rules-based international order, as well as enhancing cooperation in the areas of peace and development, defense cooperation, maritime cooperation, trade and investment, including critical raw materials and renewable energy, climate change, and labor.

''I emphasized the Philippines’ commitment to a clean energy future and invited German investments in green energy initiatives,'' the president said.

''Chancellor Scholz also remarked on the crucial role of our overseas Filipino workers in Germany, and once again, we highlighted their contributions to the economy and to the society of Germany.''

Business agreements for projects with an aggregate value of $4 billion in the sectors of renewable energy, manufacturing, healthcare, innovation and startups, IT-BPM, minerals processing, agriculture, and aerospace were also sealed in Germany, Marcos said.

''During my time in Berlin, I was able to discuss with Lufthansa Technik its expansion plan in the Philippines, which entails the construction of a second hangar in Clark. These expansion projects are valued at $150 million, or P8 billion,'' he said.

''I also extended my appreciation to Siemens for their unwavering support and confidence in Filipino talent and the company’s’ continuing commitment to support the capacity building of Filipino technical personnel in the field of healthcare.'' —VAL/VBL, GMA Integrated News