MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. wrapped up his state visits to Indonesia and Singapore from September 4 to 6, coming home with several bilateral agreements with both countries.
He was accompanied by his wife, Louise Araneta-Marcos, and several Cabinet officials such as Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and Migrant Workers Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople, as well as members of the country’s economic team.
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The chief executive met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo and, while in Singapore, with President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
"Maliban po sa pakikipagpulong sa mga opisyal ng Indonesia at Singapore at pagkuha ng kanilang patuloy na suporta sa ating bansa at sa ating gobyerno, nasaksihan ko rin po ang pagpirma ng mga bilateral agreement na magsusulong ng ating kooperasyon sa iba’t ibang sektor," Marcos Jr. said on Wednesday evening.
(Aside from meeting with the officials of Indonesia and Singapore and getting their continuous support for our country and our government, I also witnessed the signing of multiple bilateral agreements that would foster our cooperation in different sectors.)
READ: Marcos heads to Singapore after wrapping up 'productive' visit to Indonesia
Agreements with Singapore
Aside from the bilateral agreements inked with Indonesia, the country also signed six deals with Singapore.
These include:
- Arrangement Concerning the Assignment of a Team to the Regional Counter-Terrorism Information Facility in Singapore (Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Singapore Armed Forces)
- Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in the Field of Digital Cooperation (Department of Information and Communications Technology of the Philippines and the Ministry of Communications and Information of Singapore)
- MOU to collaborate on the development of New Clark City (Bases Convention and Development Authority of the Philippines and Enterprise Singapore)
- Renewal of the MOU on Cooperation in Personal Data Protection (National Privacy Commission of the Philippines and the Personal Data Protection Commission of Singapore)
- Renewal of the MOU on Water Collaboration (Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System of the Philippines and the Public Utilities Board of Singapore)
- Joint Communiqué on the Recruitment of Filipino Healthcare Workers (Department of Migrant Workers of the Philippines and Ministry of Health of Singapore)
Both the Philippines and Singapore are also working to expand their bilateral Air Transport Agreement that will “increase connectivity and create more opportunities for collaboration and growth.”
$6.54 billion in FDI
While in the Lion City, Marcos Jr. also reportedly secured $6.54 billion or P374.57 billion worth of foreign direct investments. This translates to around 15,000 job opportunities for Filipinos back home.
FROM INTERAKSYON: Marcos touts economic recovery in investment pitch in Singapore
One of the top Singaporean investments is identified as a $5-billion deal on electric tricycles. In a press statement from the Office of the Press Secretary, this investment would cut air pollution caused by an equivalent to 3.5 million trillion tricycles nationwide.
The Philippines was also able to attract investments in renewable energy, such as floating solar worth $1.2 billion, and a $200-million investment in an in-country Data Center.
There was also a $20-million pledge for a "innovation platform for start-ups and another $20-million investment was made for 'Women in Technology'."
More Filipino workers
Meanwhile, the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Singapore also approved nearly 10,000 job orders for Filipinos in Singapore, including:
- 5,000 aircraft technicians
- 3,000 healthcare workers
- 1,000 skilled workers
- 500 workers
- 300 workers
As of last year, there were 215,155 Filipinos living and working in Singapore and 180,605 are temporary migrant workers. Over half or 99,333 are working professionals in highly skilled and semi-skilled job categories, while over 81,272 are domestic workers.
Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Ople said that the lifting of the 27-year-old guarantee bond for Singapore will also lead to more employment opportunities for Filipino workers.
The Philippines previously required Singaporean employment agencies and employers to submit a banker’s guarantee and performance bond when hiring Filipino domestic workers. The policy came about following the 1997 case of overseas Filipino worker Flor Contemplacion.
"There never was an occasion for the POLO to garnish the bond in favor of an aggrieved worker in the past because complaints are promptly handled by the [Ministry of Manpower] which strictly monitors its accredited recruitment agencies," Ople said.