April 13, 2024, 01:59 PM
Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan will visit the Philippines from Apr. 15 to 18, 2024, for a visit that kicks off the commemoration of 55 years of diplomatic relations.
During the visit, Vivian will call on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Vice President and Secretary of Education Sara Duterte, and President of the Senate Juan Miguel Zubiri.
Vivian will also meet Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo, National Security Advisor Eduardo Año, and members of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Visiting New Clark City
During the visit, Vivian will also be heading to New Clark City in the Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone, where he will be briefed on its progress and development.
New Clark City is a planned community that is currently being developed.
It will also be Philippines' first green, smart, and sustainable city.
In September 2022, Singapore and the Philippines signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for collaboration in the development of New Clark City between the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) of the Philippines and EnterpriseSG.
Vivian's visit to Clark will be hosted by the chairman of BCDA, Delfin Lorenzana.
During his four-day visit, Vivian will also be visiting SIA Engineering (Philippines) and Clark International Airport.
Diplomatic relations established since 1969
Diplomatic relations between Singapore and the Philippines were formally established on May 16, 1969.
There have been several high-level exchanges of visits between the two countries in recent years.
This includes a state visit by former President Halimah Yacob in 2019 at the invitation of then Philippines' President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
In 2023, the Philippines was Singapore's 16th largest trading partner in goods.
In the same year, Singapore was the Philippines' fifth-largest trading partner in the world and the largest in Asean.
During his four-day working visit, Vivian will be accompanied by his wife, Joy Balakrishnan, and MFA officials.
Top image via @VivianBala/X.
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