Marcos signs agreements during state visit to Brunei

Philippines, Brunei sign agreements seeking to strengthen tourism, maritime, agriculture cooperation

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines and Brunei signed several agreements on Tuesday, May 28, during Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s state visit to the oil-rich Brunei.

The agreements came on the same day as he held a bilateral meeting with Brunei Prime Minister Hassanal Bolkiah.

“To that end, we want to expand the partnership that we have already started and we think there is a lot of potential to be tapped,” President Marcos was quoted as telling the Sultan of Brunei by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).

Manila and Bandar Seri Begawan established diplomatic relations in January 1984. Malacañang noted the significance of the visit: 40 years later, the son of dictator Ferdinand Marcos visited Brunei to “continue to strengthen the bilateral relations between the Philippines and its Southeast Asian neighbors,” and Brunei is the second home of more than 25,000 Filipinos.

The deals reached on Tuesday are as follows:

1. Memorandum of Understanding on Tourism Cooperation

The agreement signed between the Philippine Department of Tourism and Brunei’s Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism aims to boost the number of tourists from both countries, develop tourism cooperation projects and support the development of Islamic tourism, according to a news release from the Philippine Department of Tourism.

2. Memorandum of Understanding on Mutual Recognition of Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (SCTW) Certificates

Under the agreement, which replaces a memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries in 2001, the Philippines and Brunei will recognize certificates issued by the two countries’ leading institutions. These documents set minimum documentation and skills requirements for seafarers.

3. Memorandum of Understanding on Maritime Cooperation

Malacañang said the memorandum would allow the two countries to “further cooperate in a wide range of areas including pollution, skills training, research and information sharing.”

4. Letter of Intent to Renew the Memorandum of Understanding on Food Security and Agriculture Cooperation

The letter of intent was signed by the agricultural departments of both countries and aims to expand cooperation on food security and sustainable agriculture.

Marcos’ two-day state visit to Brunei will end on Wednesday, May 29, after which he will travel to Singapore to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier defense summit, where he will serve as the keynote speaker. – Rappler.com