THE Philippines and India forged 13 agreements, including the upgrading of the two countries’ bilateral ties into a strategic partnership, while President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. emphasized the need to explore more opportunities with India amid the continuing advancement of technologies and the changing geopolitical and economic state in the region.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during their bilateral meeting, highlighted the creation of a comprehensive action plan to translate the upgraded strategic partnership between the Philippines and India “into tangible outcomes.”
The Presidential Communications Office-Radio Television Malacanang, in a video release, said the Prime Minister also talked about free visa facilities to travelers from the Philippines, the establishment of a bilateral professional trade agreement and the implementation of quick-impact projects, such as developing a sovereign data cloud infrastructure in the Philippines, among others.
“Friend, the Philippines is a key partner in our Act East policy and the Mahasagar or Ocean Vision. We are committed to peace, security, prosperity and the rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific Region,” the Prime Minister said.
Marcos thanked India for approving the Philippines’ request for exemption from India’s export ban on non-basmati rice and “looks forward to more exchanges on this vital commodity for the Filipino people.”
Marcos also welcomed the elevation of the Philippines-India relations amid the increasing exchanges in security and defense, in trade, investments, health and other fields of endeavor.
“The Philippines and India continue to share values, interests and concerns that have impacted our respective national security, particularly given the geopolitical developments on both the regional and international levels. Given these shared concerns, it is but natural for our two countries to intensify our partnership and to find ways to counter such security concerns,” he added.
After their bilateral meeting and banquet lunch hosted by the Prime Minister, Marcos met with Bharatiya Janata Party chairman Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda and the concurrent Health Minister.
In the evening, Marcos had a bilateral meeting with President Droupadi Mumru followed by a dinner banquet.
The President and Prime Minister Narendra Modi witnessed the exchange of 13 sets of documents between Manila and New Delhi after their bilateral meeting, which included the Declaration on the Establishment of Strategic Partnership, and the Plan of Action for the Implementation of Strategic Partnership from 2025 to 2029 between the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of External Affairs.
Also signed and exchanged were the Treaties on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters and the Transfer of Sentenced Persons between the Department of Justice and Ministry External Affairs; the terms of reference (ToR) between the Indian Air Force and the Philippine Air Force on Air Staff, ToR between the Indian Army and the Philippine Army, ToR between the Indian Navy and the Philippine Navy, and ToR for enhanced maritime cooperation between the Indian Coast Guard and the Philippine Coast Guard.
Also exchanged were documents for the program of cooperation in the field of science and technology for 2025 to 2028 between the Department of Science and Technology of both the Philippines and India, and the implementation of the Tourism Cooperation 2025-2028 program between the Department of Tourism and the Ministry of Tourism.
The two countries also exchanged a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on cooperation in the field of digital technologies; a statement of intent between the Indian Space Research Organization and the Philippine Space Agency for cooperation on the peaceful uses of outer space; and the agreement on the cultural exchange program between the two governments.
Marcos and Modi, who both welcomed the exchange of various agreements and cooperation, also launched separate postal stamps from the two countries to commemorate the 75th anniversary of India-Philippines diplomatic relations.
MORE OPPORTUNITIES
Before their bilateral meeting, Marcos said the two countries should build upon what they already have, even while exploring more opportunities for future collaborations and cooperation.
Marcos, during the welcome honors at the Rashtrapati Bhavan led by Modi and Indian President Droupadi Murmu, said his state visit is a reaffirmation of the alliance and the partnership between the Philippines and India, which should continue to be strengthened amid the changes and developments in the world.
He said that amid the “global nature of all politics and all trade and all of the economy,” the two countries should “build upon what we already have, but certainly to explore the many opportunities that have arisen in the past few years because of the new technologies and the changing state of the global economy and geopolitics around us now.”
The Philippines and India established diplomatic relations in November 1949 and have just marked their 75th anniversary.
In his joint briefing with Modi, Marcos highlighted the elevation of Philippine and Indian ties to a strategic partnership, citing that India is the fifth country to establish “strategic” ties with Manila.
He described the strategic partnership as a “major boost, a major upgrade” during his meeting with the Filipino community the night before.
“This means that from now on, our cooperation will intensify further and become even more impactful in many, many areas that we had not explored with India before, such as defense, trade and investment, health, tourism, other areas,” the President said, adding that India is a big country with vast potential and areas that the two nations could explore and mutually benefit from.
Marcos said he and the Prime Minister agreed to expedite efforts to come up with a bilateral preferential trade agreement and look at leveraging mutual opportunities to boost two-way investment.
The President said they have tasked their respective economic teams to work on it, adding that the fast-growing innovative private enterprises from both countries are expected to play an important role in the “common march towards progress and development, facilitating innovation, technology transfer and upskilling and generating employment for our people.”
Marcos said they also discussed the strengthening of their respective tourism industries and “welcomed the resumption of direct flights from October this year and renewed our commitment to sustaining and expanding such direct air connectivity.”
The President had said that he wants to expand the direct flights to more air carriers and open more routes between countries to ease travel and provide more convenience, not just to overseas Filipinos in India but also to tourists and other travelers.
He also thanked Modi for the “grant of visa-free entry to Filipino tourists traveling to India” and reiterated that the Philippines had also started providing visa-free country entry privileges to Indian tourists.
WORKING TOGETHER
Marcos also thanked India, especially its navy, for the rescue of Filipino seafarers during a Houthi rebel attack in 2024.
“We recognize India’s influence as a first responder role in this critical area and we want to work with you for a free and open Indo-Pacific. We both have high stakes in the future of our Indo-Pacific region and in the world,” the President said.
He also thanked India for its support for the Philippines’ call for the peaceful settlement of disputes and adherence to international law, especially the Unclos and the 2016 award in the South China Sea arbitration.
“Prime Minister Modi and I have committed to bringing our collaboration to bear on shared concerns: a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region, security and rule of law in the maritime commons, supply chain resilience, food security, countering terrorism and other traditional and non-traditional threats,” Marcos said.
The President also thanked India for its support to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), which the Philippines will chair in 2026.
Marcos, who is on a five-day state visit to India, arrived with First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos in New Delhi on Monday.
He met with the Filipino community on Monday night and reported on some of the accomplishments of his administration and its commitments for the remaining three years of his term.
The President was accorded formal honors and welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan by Modi and Indian President Droupadi Murmu yesterday.
Marcos also laid a wreath in honor of Mahatma Gandhi at the Raj Ghat in New Delhi.
