President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has concluded his three-day working visit to Singapore. Upon his return to Manila, the President characterized the trip as highly successful, emphasizing that it fortified bilateral relations and generated stronger investor confidence across crucial Philippine economic sectors.
In a statement released after landing in Manila on Thursday, July 16, Marcos detailed that his July 14 to 16 trip provided an invaluable opening to enhance ties with Singapore.
He leveraged the visit to showcase the Philippines as a prime destination for investments in digital technology, infrastructure, healthcare, and innovation.
“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.
The President highlighted that his discussions with Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong served to reaffirm the long-term partnership between the two Southeast Asian nations, even against a backdrop of global economic disruptions and geopolitical instability.
“During my courtesy call on Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, we affirmed the strength of our bilateral relations amidst global shocks and conflicts.”
Marcos reported that both leaders mapped out strategies to broaden cooperation in several sectors, such as commerce and investments, artificial intelligence (AI), education, healthcare, environmental conservation, and cultural exchanges.
The President also stressed the significance of regional collaboration, pointing out the continuous leadership transition for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Philippines currently holds the bloc’s chairship, and Singapore is slated to take over the leadership role in 2027.
“With the Philippines and Singapore holding successive ASEAN Chairships, we underscored our shared commitment to a stronger, unified ASEAN,” he said.
In tandem with his state-level engagements, Marcos sat down with corporate executives and prospective investors to highlight the Philippines’ burgeoning digital space, highly capable workforce, and active economic reforms.
He noted that these talks centered on key growth industries critical to the country’s long-term prosperity, including telecom, data centers, AI, digital technology, and healthcare.
Among the key organizations that held audiences with the President were Singtel Group and ABC Impact. Marcos shared that Singtel reiterated its commitment to grow the operations of NCS Philippines and advance the rollout of ST Telemedia Global Data Centres in the archipelago.
Simultaneously, ABC Impact pledged backing for the nationwide expansion of AC Health, a development expected to widen healthcare access for Filipinos and generate additional 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,” he said.
During his address at the Milken Institute roundtable, Marcos pitched the country’s prime investment opportunities.
He put the spotlight on key structural initiatives, such as the Luzon Economic Corridor, the Public-Private Partnership Code, and the Green Lanes for Strategic Investments, all of which are designed to fast-track approvals and incentivize high-value developments.
“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.
Ultimately, the President noted that the trip emphasized the enduring bond between Manila and Singapore, alongside their shared commitment to regional solidarity and ASEAN centrality.
Marcos went on to express his sincere appreciation to the Singaporean government and its citizens for their warm hospitality, adding that he looks forward to reconvening with Wong at the 49th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits later this year.