MANILA — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will embark on a five-day state visit to India from August 4 to 8, marking the first such visit by a Philippine leader in nearly two decades and signaling a renewed push for stronger economic and defense cooperation between the two countries.
The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said the trip, made upon the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, coincides with the 75th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations between the Philippines and India.
“After official meetings and events in New Delhi, the President and his delegation will travel to Bangalore. He will meet with the business sectors in both cities,” the PCO said in a statement.
Marcos is also scheduled to meet with the Filipino community in New Delhi during the visit.
This will be the first Philippine state visit to India since then-president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo traveled there in October 2007. India’s most recent reciprocal visit was in October 2019, when former president Ram Nath Kovind came to the Philippines.
Formal diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on November 26, 1949, soon after their respective independences—India in 1947 and the Philippines in 1946.
Ties between Manila and New Delhi have recently expanded, particularly in trade and defense. Bilateral trade in 2024 reached around USD 3.5 billion, up 8.6 percent from the previous year, with the balance tilted in favor of Indian exports.
On the defense front, India’s successful delivery of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system to the Philippines in 2023 marked a major milestone in strategic cooperation./PN
