MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. returned to the Philippines on Thursday touting fresh investment commitments from major Singaporean firms and a renewed commitment to deeper Philippines-Singapore cooperation following his three-day working visit to the city-state.
The President said the July 14 to 16 visit strengthened bilateral relations, boosted investor confidence in the Philippine economy, and advanced cooperation in key sectors ranging from trade and artificial intelligence to healthcare and regional security.
“During this visit, I met with His Excellency Lawrence Wong, the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance of Singapore. I held meetings with business and investment executives, and attended the Milken Institute’s Roundtable Discussion with regional business leaders,” Marcos said upon his arrival.
Marcos said he and Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong reaffirmed the enduring partnership between the two countries despite global economic uncertainties and geopolitical tensions.
“During my courtesy call on Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, we affirmed the strength of our bilateral relations amidst global shocks and conflicts,” he said.
The two leaders also agreed to expand cooperation in trade, investment, artificial intelligence, education, healthcare, environmental protection, and people-to-people exchanges.
Marcos said the Philippines and Singapore also pledged to work closely in advancing regional integration, with the Philippines serving as ASEAN chair this year and Singapore taking over the chairmanship in 2027.
“With the Philippines and Singapore holding successive ASEAN Chairships, we underscored our shared commitment to a stronger, unified ASEAN,” he said.
Aside from government-to-government engagements, Marcos met with executives of Singapore-based companies, including Singtel Group and ABC Impact, to encourage further investments in the Philippines.
He said Singtel reaffirmed its commitment to expand NCS Philippines and accelerate the development of ST Telemedia Global Data Centres in the country, while ABC Impact pledged to support the nationwide expansion of AC Health to improve healthcare access and generate more employment opportunities.
“These business engagements… reaffirm Singaporean investors’ strong confidence in the Philippine economy and the support that they will give to our country’s vision of becoming a competitive, innovation-driven, and future-ready investment destination,” Marcos said.
During the Milken Institute Roundtable Discussion, Marcos also promoted the Luzon Economic Corridor, the Public-Private Partnership Code, and the Green Lanes for Strategic Investments as key reforms designed to attract more investments and improve the country’s ease of doing business.
“As a newly designated upper middle-income country with solid macroeconomic fundamentals, the Philippines offers a secure, transparent, and stable environment for businesses to thrive,” he said.
Marcos said the visit reinforced the strategic partnership between the Philippines and Singapore while strengthening both nations’ commitment to regional cooperation under ASEAN. He also thanked the Singaporean government for its hospitality and said he looks forward to meeting Wong again during the 49th ASEAN Summit later this year./PN
