President Marcos arrives from eight-day trip to US, UK

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos was expected to arrive in Manila late Sunday night from his eight-day trip to the United States and the United Kingdom.

“Late evening but not open for (the) media,” Presidential Communications Office Assistant Secretary Rowena Otida said in a brief message to reporters.

Marcos went straight to the UK to attend Prince Charles III’s coronation on Saturday from a five-day official visit to Washington.

Prior to the coronation, the President and First Lady Liza Marcos attended a dinner with Charles at Buckingham Palace.

Marcos’ children, Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos, Simon and Vincent were also in London.

The President earlier said he would meet with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on the sidelines of the coronation.

In a recent statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Marcos’ attendance at Charles’ coronation “indicates the high level of commitment of the Philippines to the enhanced partnership launched by the two countries in December 2021.”

There are around 190,000 Filipinos in the UK, according to the DFA.

The President and his delegation arrived on Friday night at London’s Gatwick airport, where he received a tour and a briefing from officials of the Global Infrastructure Partners, which runs one of the UK’s busiest gateways.

Marcos was accompanied by his cousin Speaker Martin Romualdez and Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista during the tour.

In a tweet on Friday, the Chief Executive said: “We made the most of our time at Gatwick Airport, meeting with its executives and taking a comprehensive tour. We gathered valuable insights to improve Philippine airports and boost tourism at home.”

Marcos received a special diploma in social studies from Oxford University in England in 1978. He also went to Worth School, also in England, from 1970 to 1974.

The President will leave for Indonesia tomorrow to participate in the 42nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit on May 10 to 11.