Marcos says Singapore's Tharman visit a rekindling of personal ties

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has said the state visit of Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam was a "rekindling of personal ties" as it shows the strong bond between Filipinos and Singaporeans.

"Your visit is a testament to the strong bond between our [peoples] and each other's countries over the years. As proof of this kinship, I recall we only recently met in Singapore at the end of May, where I had the privilege to deliver the keynote message at the 21st edition of the [IISS] Shangri-La Dialogue, and here we are once again, two months later, rekindling our personal ties and strengthening our countries," Marcos said during the state banquet on Thursday evening.

During their meeting at the sidelines of the 2024 International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue, Shanmugaratnam said he was seeing "warmer and warmer" diplomatic ties with the Philippines under the Marcos administration.

Marcos considered his counterpart's visit to Manila very timely as the Philippines and Singapore celebrate the 55th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.

The Philippine President stressed the "people-to-people ties" as the heart of the relations between the two nations.

Signed during Shanmugaratnam's state visit were memoranda of understanding (MOUs) on the recruitment of Filipino healthcare workers and collaboration on climate finance.

The Presidential Communications Office said this was the first time for Shanmugaratnam to visit the Philippines in his official capacity as Singapore's head of state.

The diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Singapore were established on May 16, 1969. — VDV, GMA Integrated News