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Vice President of the Philippines, Inday Sara Duterte, visited Singapore on June 13 and 14, meeting with President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

She also took in local sights, visiting the newly opened Bird Paradise and met with Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).

(Almost) 55 years of Singapore-Philippine diplomatic relations

Duterte was in Singapore as part of an international trip that also included Brunei.

She met with Pres. Halimah and PM Lee at the Istana on June 14.

Pres. Halimah and Duterte reaffirmed the warm and longstanding friendship between the two countries, which "is anchored by people-to-people ties and robust cooperation across various fields".

They also noted that 2024 would mark the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Singapore and the Philippines, expressing hope that bilateral cooperation would "be elevated to new heights".

When meeting with PM Lee, the pair discussed ways to deepen cooperation in areas of mutual interest, such as education and healthcare.

PM Lee also expressed appreciation for "the invaluable contributions of the Filipino community to Singaporean society and economy".

Education exchange

Duterte, who is also the Philippines' Secretary of Education, met with Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Maliki Osman.

Osman, who is also Second Minister for Education, and Duterte discussed bilateral education cooperation in areas such as teacher training and special needs education, as well as increasing student exchanges.

Duterte also met with Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan, with whom she also discussed education related topics.

Countrymen and eagles

Duterte also attended an event for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).

She also visited a rather unique pair of exports, a pair of Philippine Eagles, who are currently residing in the newly opened Bird Paradise.The pair of birds arrived from the Philippine Eagle Foundation in Duterte's hometown of Davao.

Scions

Duterte is the daughter of former president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, and like him had served as Mayor of Davao prior to running for national office.

Rodrigo Duterte, who had been relatively popular throughout his term, had advocated for his daughter to run for the role of president.

However, she ultimately chose to run for the role of Vice President, in support of Ferdinand "Bong Bong" Marcos Jr, the child of another former president, Ferdinand Marcos.

But according to a May 2022 article in Nikkei, there was a concern that Marcos Jr and Duterte's personalities might end up clashing.

Bloomberg reports indicate that Marcos Jr's alliance was beginning to fray nearly a year after becoming president, with Duterte recently quitting her political party, which backs Marcos Jr.

However, she also said that her commitment to serving the country with Marcos as leader was "immutable".

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Top image via Lee Hsien Loong/Facebook, Halimah Yacob/Facebook & Inday Sara Duterte/Facebook