PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrived in Manila on Tuesday afternoon from his “successful” and “productive” three-day state visit in Cambodia where he met with political and business leaders.
Before leaving Phnom Penh, the President said during a media interaction that he has committed that his government will advance Philippine-Cambodia bilateral relations and pursue more unique opportunities for growth and market diversification.
He also assured Cambodia and Thailand that the Philippines is always ready to play any role that would strengthen the ceasefire between the two Asean members, which was signed on August 8, 2024 after deadly armed clashes erupted between soldiers of the two countries.
The President and First Lady Louise “Liza” Araneta-Marcos arrived at 2:49 p.m. at the Villamor Airbase in Pasay City.
In a taped arrival speech, Marcos said: “I have returned from my state visit to Cambodia where I had a constructive exchange with acting Head of State and Senate President Han Sen on advancing our bilateral relations across key sectors and fora. I’ve also met with Prime Minister Han Manet and we underscored the mutual regard that we place on our close bilateral and multilateral cooperation.”
He added that he had discussions with Cambodian officials on deepening cooperation in trade, security, and people-to-people exchanges; and efforts to strengthen Manila and Phnom Penh’s respective economies along with the rest of the Asian region as both “highlighted our collective interest to bolster intra-Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) trade through enhancing market access.”
He said he also thanked Cambodia for its support for the Philippines’ bid for a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council and for the Philippines’ Asean Chairmanship in 2026.
The President said he also met with the executives of the top businesses in Cambodia and discussed with them how best to complement each country’s strengths and pursuance of more unique opportunities for growth and for market diversification.
B2B NETWORKING ROUNDTABLE
Marcos, during the CEO B2B Networking Roundtable in Phnom Penh on Monday, recognized the “steady progress” in trade and business relations between the Philippines and Cambodia and called for the expanding of trade collaboration especially in “emerging, high-impact sectors” in addition to the traditional industries.
The President said he brought home five business agreements involving the aviation, logistics, women-led micro-small medium enterprises (MSMEs), exploration of market opportunities for Philippine exports of products and services, and institutional partnerships for each country’s business associations.
Marcos said his visit also resulted in the updating of air services agreement between the two countries, which will result in more tourism and cultural exchanges, and the increased exchanges in higher education that promoted more social mobility and professional improvement of both Filipinos and Cambodians.
The two nations also updated its agreement on addressing transnational crimes as both countries recognize the emerging security threats in the region.
The President said they affirmed each country’s determination to counter criminal elements that misuse technology and exploit people and regularly update the bilateral agreement to be more responsive to evolving security challenges facing the region.
He said one important result of his trip is the updated agreement between the Philippines and Cambodia in the field of migrant workers’ welfare and employment including the stop to illegal recruitment and trafficking of persons.
During his meeting with the Filipino community on Sunday, he announced the establishment of a Migrant Workers’ Office in Phnom Penh to oversee and address the needs of Filipinos. He also updated the Filipinos on the current developments in the Philippines and efforts to uplift the quality of life for everyone.
The President expressed confidence that following his visit, the Philippines-Cambodia partnership will, “be guided by our common aspiration for progress, peace, and stability for our peoples and for the Asean region.”
Marcos’ state visit to Cambodia, the first by a Philippine president in nine years, was upon the invitation of His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni.
