Marcos greets Brazilian envoy in Portuguese

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos showed that he can speak some Portuguese during the presentation of credentials of the new envoy of Brazil although he admitted that he is now “rusty” with the language.

Marcos accepted the letter of credence of Brazilian Ambassador Gilberto Fonseca Guimarães de Moura last Tuesday at Malacañang. The letter is used to designate a diplomat to the host country’s government.

In an X post, user @31milmovement shared a 53-second video of the President and the ambassador sharing laughs and talking in Portuguese. Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo can also be seen in the video posted last Jan. 16.

The X account is owned by the “31 Million Movement,” which describes itself as the “biggest” online community supporting Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte “in achieving their goals and plans for a brighter Philippines.”

“It’s one of those super rare moments when we hear President @bongbongmarcos speaking a different language – this time, it’s Portuguese. What’s the context of this conversation? It’s about a bean dish found only in Portugal and Brazil. No wonder our President @bongbongmarcos is the darling of the crowd in the international community,” the movement said in its X post.

In a text message, Marcos confirmed that he speaks some Portuguese.

“I learned it from my many Brazilian friends in (my) time in England. I’m now quite rusty though,” the President told The STAR.

Brazil is the world’s largest Portuguese-speaking country.

During the presentation of credentials of the Brazilian ambassador, Marcos said he was looking forward to expanding the Philippines’ bilateral ties with Brazil.

The two countries will be celebrating the 78th year of their diplomatic relations in July this year.

The President also expressed support for the South American country’s hosting of the 30th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2025.

In a disclaimer posted on its Facebook account, the 31 Million Movement said the group is moderated and managed by private individuals and is not connected or affiliated to any political party or government agency.

The group’s name is a reference to the number of votes obtained by Marcos during the 2022 presidential race.