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Visits to foreign countries by the 17th Philippine president From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
According to the Official Gazette, international trips made by the President of the Philippines are an opportunity to "foster and maintain" relations with other governments and to meet other heads of state and/or government. The Department of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the President classify these trips as either a state visit, an official visit, or a working visit.[1]
Bongbong Marcos, the 17th and current president, has made 26 international trips to 18 countries during his presidency so far, which began on June 30, 2022. More trips have been planned.
Unless otherwise stated, the President was accompanied by First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos and his first cousin, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, on all his trips. The President and the First Lady's eldest son, Ilocos Norte's 1st district representative Sandro Marcos, joined many of the trips, while their other two sons joined some.[2]
The number of visits per country where President Marcos traveled are:
Country | Areas visited | Dates | Details | Image | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Indonesia | Jakarta, Bogor | September 4–6 | State visit.[3] President Marcos met with members of the local Filipino community at the Hotel Fairmont Jakarta.[4] On September 5, he laid a wreath at the Kalibata Heroes' Cemetery before meeting with President Joko Widodo and First Lady Iriana at the Bogor Palace.[5] The Marcos family also visited Sarinah with President Widodo.[6] | |
Singapore | Central Area | September 6–7 | State visit.[3] President Marcos met with the local Filipino community at the National University of Singapore.[7] On September 7, he met with President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana.[8] President Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos toured the Singapore Botanic Gardens, where a Dendrobium was named after them as part of a diplomatic tradition.[9] Prime Minister Lee and his wife Ho Ching hosted the Filipino first family to breakfast at the Shangri-La Hotel, where they stayed.[10] At the hotel, the President also joined a roundtable discussion and an economic briefing with potential Singaporean investors.[11] | ||
2 | United States | Newark, New York City | September 18–24 | Working visit. President Marcos and his delegation met with the Filipino community at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. On September 19, they rang the closing bell of the New York Stock Exchange, where the President spoke to and met with American senior executives.[12] On September 20, he addressed the general debate of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly.[13] On the sidelines of the UN general assembly, President Marcos met separately with United States President Joe Biden,[14] United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres,[15] Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida,[16] former British Prime Minister Tony Blair,[17] and World Bank President David Malpass.[18] He also met with members of the United States Chamber of Commerce and the US-ASEAN Business Council.[19] | |
3 | Singapore | Central Area | October 1–3 | Unannounced official visit. President Marcos attended the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.[20] The President and the First Lady met informally with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the circuit.[21] | |
4 | Cambodia | Phnom Penh | November 9–13 | Working visit. President Marcos attended the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and the related summits. On November 10, he joined the ASEAN leaders in an audience with King Norodom Sihamoni at the Royal Palace.[22] Throughout the sidelines of the summits, the President held bilateral meetings with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen,[23] Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau,[24] Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính,[25] Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah[26] and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.[27] He met with the local Filipino community at Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh.[28] | |
5 | Thailand | Bangkok | November 16–19 | Working visit. President Marcos attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit and he addressed at the APEC CEO Summit. President Marcos held bilateral meetings with Chinese leader Xi Jinping,[29] French President Emmanuel Macron,[30] Saudi Arabia Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman,[31] New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern,[32] and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.[33] He had an audience with King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida at Chakri Maha Prasat Throne Hall and also met with local Filipino community at Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen's Park.[34] | |
6 | Belgium | Brussels, Schaerbeek | December 12–14 | Working visit. President Marcos attended the ASEAN–European Union Commemorative Summit at the Berlaymont building in Brussels.[35] He had an audience with King Philippe at the Royal Palace.[36] The President also met with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, as well as EU Council President Charles Michel and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.[37] In Schaerbeek, President Marcos met with Overseas Filipinos based in Europe.[38] |
Country | Areas visited | Dates | Details | Image | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
7 | China | Beijing | January 3–6 | State visit. President Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos met with General Secretary and President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan at the Great Hall of the People, with a state banquet being organized in their honor.[39] The President also met with Premier Li Keqiang and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Li Zhanshu separately.[40] The President's sister, Senator Imee Marcos, who chairs the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, joined his delegation on this trip.[41] Unlike in most of their other visits, President Marcos and his delegation did not meet with the Filipino community there due to restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.[42] | |
8 | Switzerland | Davos, Zürich | January 15–20 | Working visit. Arriving via Zurich Airport, President Marcos participated in the World Economic Forum in Davos.[43] The presidential delegation for this trip consisted of more than 70 individuals, including businesspeople Ramon Ang, Lance Gokongwei, Enrique Razon, Teresita Sy-Coson, and Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, and Senator Mark Villar, chairperson of the Senate committees on trade and banking.[44][2] The First Family met with the Filipino community in Zürich before departing Switzerland.[45] | |
9 | Japan | Tokyo | February 8–12 | Working visit. President Marcos met with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and held an audience with Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako at the Imperial Palace.[46] He also addressed Japanese executives at the Philippine Business Opportunities Forum at the Palace Hotel.[47] Before leaving Japan, the First Family met with the local Filipino community at the Belle Salle hotel.[48] | |
10 | United States | Washington, D.C., Arlington County, Prince George's County | April 30 – May 4 | Official visit. Arriving via Joint Base Andrews in Prince George's County, Maryland, President Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos met with President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden at the White House on May 1.[49] The First Couple were hosted to a brunch by Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff at Number One Observatory Circle on May 2.[50] On May 3, President Marcos met with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon, where he received full military honors, making Marcos the first visiting head of state to receive such honors under the Biden administration.[51] The presidential delegation, consisting of several cabinet members and business executives, met with various members of the US-ASEAN Business Council and the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.[52][53] They also met with the local Filipino community there.[54] Before departing the U.S., the President laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.[55] | |
United Kingdom | London | May 5–6 | Official visit. Arriving via Gatwick Airport, which they had toured, the President and the First Lady attended the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey on May 6.[56] They attended a reception at Buckingham Palace that the King hosted the previous day.[57] President Marcos said that he also met briefly with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.[58] | ||
11 | Indonesia | Labuan Bajo | May 9–11 | Working visit. President Marcos attended the 42nd ASEAN Summit.[59] The President also held separate bilateral meetings with Laotian Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone,[60] Timorese Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak, and Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính.[61][62] | |
12 | Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya | July 25–27 | State visit. President Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos met with King Abdullah and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.[63] | |
13 | Indonesia | Jakarta | September 4–7 | Working visit. President Marcos attended the 43rd ASEAN Summit, the Eighteenth East Asia Summit, and other related meetings.[64] The President also met separately with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, and Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính.[65] | |
14 | Singapore | Central Area | September 13–17 | Working visit. On his 66th birthday, President Marcos addressed the Milken Institute's Asia Summit. He also attended the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix from September 15 to 17 upon the invitation of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.[66] | |
15 | Saudi Arabia | Riyadh | October 19–21 | Official visit. President Marcos attended the first ASEAN–Gulf Cooperation Council Summit. On the sidelines of the summit, he met with Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman and the Crown Prince of Kuwait Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. He also met with the local Filipino community and various investors to tout the Maharlika Investment Fund. First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos did not join this trip.[67][68] | |
16 | United States | San Francisco, Los Angeles, Honolulu | November 15–19 | Working visit. President Marcos attended the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in San Francisco. He met bilaterally with Chinese leader Xi Jinping,[69] Peruvian President Dina Boluarte,[70] and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.[71] In the Greater Los Angeles area, the President toured the SpaceX headquarters.[72] In Hawaii, Marcos visited the United States Indo-Pacific Command and laid a wreath at the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor.[73][74] Throughout this trip, the President met with several business leaders and groups, as well as the local Filipino communities in each city he visited.[75] | |
17 | Japan | Tokyo | December 15–18 | Working visit. President Marcos attended the ASEAN–Japan Friendship and Cooperation Commemorative Summit at Hotel Okura.[76] |
Country | Areas visited | Dates | Details | Image | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
18 | Brunei | Bandar Seri Begawan | January 13–14 | President Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos attended the wedding reception of Prince Abdul Mateen and Anisha Rosnah at the invitation of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.[77] | |
19 | Vietnam | Hanoi | January 29–30 | State visit.[78] President Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos met with President Võ Văn Thưởng, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính, and National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ.[79] President Thưởng hosted the Marcos couple to a state banquet,[80] while Prime Minister Chính hosted President Marcos to a working luncheon with business leaders.[81] The Philippine president met with leaders of the conglomerate Vingroup.[82] The Marcoses laid wreaths at the Memorial to the Revolutionary Martyrs and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.[83] The two presidents toured the Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long.[84] | |
20 | Australia | Canberra | February 28–29 | Official, guest of government visit. President Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos met with Governor-General David Hurley and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.[85] The President addressed a joint session of the Parliament of Australia, becoming the first Philippine president and the 17th different head of state or government to do so.[86][87] Before departing Canberra, the President and the First Lady laid a wreath at the Australian War Memorial.[88] | |
21 | Melbourne | March 3–6 | President Marcos attended the ASEAN–Australia Special Summit from March 4 to 6.[89][90] | ||
22 | Germany | Berlin | March 11–13 | Working visit. President Marcos met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz; and on the sidelines of the visit, the President and his delegation met with German business executives.[91][92][93] | |
Czech Republic | Prague | March 13–16 | State visit. President Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos met with Czech President Petr Pavel, First Lady Eva Pavlová, Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Senate President Miloš Vystrčil, and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Markéta Pekarová Adamová.[94][93] | ||
23 | United States | Washington, D.C. | April 10–13 | Working visit. President Marcos attended the first U.S.–Japan–Philippines trilateral summit with President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House. Marcos had a bilateral meeting with Biden prior to the summit.[95][96] First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos did not join this trip. | |
24 | Brunei | Bandar Seri Begawan | May 28–29 | State visit. President Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos met with Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and Queen Saleha at the Istana Nurul Iman, where they were hosted to a state dinner on May 28.[97] They also met with the Filipino community in Brunei. On May 29, the President addressed Bruneian business leaders at a forum.[98] | |
Singapore | Central Area | May 29–31 | Working visit. President Marcos addressed the Shangri-La Dialogue on May 31 as a keynote speaker, becoming the first Philippine president to do so.[99] On the sidelines, he met with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at the Istana,[100][101] as well as Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong.[102] Marcos also met with Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė.[103] | ||
25 | Laos | Vientiane | October 8–11 | Working visit. President Marcos attended the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summit, the Nineteenth East Asia Summit, and other related meetings. He met separately with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, and Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính.[104] | |
26 | Indonesia | Jakarta | October 20–21 | President Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos attended the inauguration of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka.[105][106] |
President Bongbong Marcos' international trips, particularly his unannounced visit to the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix, have been met with both criticism and defense.[107][108] His attendance at the event, which came shortly after Super Typhoon Noru and during a period of record-high inflation, sparked public concern after photos of Marcos, his family, and staff at the event surfaced on social media.[21] Labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno criticized the trip as insensitive, while Bayan Secretary General Renato Reyes questioned why the palace did not announce the visit beforehand as it was classified as an official visit. In response, Marcos stated that the trip aimed to foster business relations, humorously noting that while golf is often cited as a way to "drum up business", he believed Formula One could serve the same purpose. The Palace later clarified that Marcos and his family traveled to Singapore on a military jet.[108]
The controversy resurfaced when Marcos also attended the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix (albeit announced beforehand), prompting new criticism. The National Network of Agrarian Reform Advocates-Youth (NNARA-Youth), a peasant advocacy group, condemned his presence at the event, with spokesperson Marina Cavan criticizing Marcos for "enjoying the high life" while Filipinos struggled with rising prices and oil hikes. NNARA-Youth also pointed to Republic Act 6713, which mandates public officials to live modestly, and questioned the President's priorities, especially as he concurrently served as Secretary of Agriculture then. Similarly, Bayan's Renato Reyes lamented Sky Sports F1's broadcast of Marcos at a Ferrari garage during the 2023 race, contrasting it with the economic hardships faced by Filipino motorists enduring consecutive oil price hikes. Reyes questioned whether the Paddock Club tickets, which can cost up to US$11,000 (around ₱425,000) per person, were purchased for the presidential entourage, while also noting the ₱1.4 billion travel budget requested by Marcos for 2024.[109]
Critics, particularly opposition lawmakers, have framed these trips as part of a broader effort to rehabilitate the Marcos family's image on the global stage. ACT party-list representative France Castro suggested that by associating with influential figures worldwide, Marcos was attempting to distance himself from the legacy of corruption and human rights violations tied to his father's regime.[110]
Public opinion on Marcos' foreign travels has shifted over time. A Social Weather Stations survey from mid-2024 revealed that 51% of respondents saw little to no benefit from these trips, a notable increase from 44% in a similar 2022 survey. Conversely, the percentage of respondents who believed the trips had much or very much benefit declined. Despite this, Malacañang maintains that these trips are crucial for securing investments and advancing the administration's economic agenda.[111] Marcos himself has consistently emphasized the importance of positioning the Philippines as a key investment destination in Asia, citing ₱3.9 trillion in investment pledges secured during his travels by mid-2023. These pledges, according to the government, have the potential to create 175,000 jobs.[112]
Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile has defended the necessity of these international engagements, explaining that many trips are made at the invitation of host countries. He argued that if Marcos declined these invitations, he could be accused of neglecting the country's interests on the global stage. Enrile highlighted that these trips address vital issues such as national security and economic cooperation.[113]
Data from the Department of Trade and Industry supports the administration's position, reporting ₱4.019 trillion (US$72.178 billion) in investment commitments from 2023. These investments, spanning sectors like manufacturing, renewable energy, and telecommunications, could generate over 200,000 jobs. Several projects are already operational, while others are in various stages of progress.[112]
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman has acknowledged that while the travel budget for 2025 has been slightly reduced, the President is expected to still pursue international trips to follow up on these commitments.[111][114] The Commission on Audit, however, noted a significant increase in the Office of the President's travel expenses, which surged by 996% in 2022.[112]
Former Trade Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual reported that by the end of 2023, Marcos' foreign trips had already led to actualized investments worth ₱294 billion (US$5.28 billion), resulting in job creation across various sectors.[114] Economist Michael Ricafort has observed an increase in foreign direct investments since Marcos took office, attributing some of this growth to the investment commitments secured during these trips.[112]
Multilateral meetings of the following intergovernmental organizations that the Philippines is a member of (or invited to) are scheduled to take place during Marcos' term in office.
Group | Year | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | |
APEC | November 16–19, Bangkok | November 15–17, San Francisco | November 10–16, Cusco[d] | TBD, Gyeongju | TBA | TBA | TBA |
ASEAN (EAS) | November 10–13, Phnom Penh | May 9–11, Labuan Bajo | October 8–11, Vientiane | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
September 5–7, Jakarta | |||||||
UNCCC | November 6–18,[a] Sharm el-Sheikh | November 30 – December 12,[a] Dubai | November 11–22, Baku | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
UNGA | September 20, New York City | September 21,[b] New York City | September 20, New York City | September, New York City | September, New York City | September, New York City | — |
Others | ASEAN–EU Commemorative Summit December 14, Brussels | World Economic Forum January 16–20, Davos | ASEAN–Australia Special Summit March 3–6, Melbourne | ||||
Milken Institute Asia Summit September 13, Singapore | United States–Japan–Philippines Summit April 10–13, Washington D.C. | ||||||
ASEAN–GCC Summit October 20, Riyadh | Shangri-La Dialogue May 31, Singapore | ||||||
ASEAN–Japan Friendship and Cooperation Commemorative Summit December 16–18, Tokyo | Ukraine peace summit June 15–16,[c] Nidwalden | ||||||
██ = Did not attend; ██ = Future event ^a Environment Secretary Toni Yulo-Loyzaga attended in the president's place.[115] ^b Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo attended in the president's place.[116] ^c Presidential Adviser on Peace Carlito Galvez Jr. attended in the president's place.[117] ^d acting Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina Aldeguer-Roque attends in the president's place.[118] |
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