The leader of the island nation is in the country.
On Thursday, August 15, Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam kicked off his three-day state visit in the Philippines, which is his first to the country since assuming the post in September 2023.
Accompanying him in this official travel is his wife, Jane Yumiko Ittogi.
For his first day, Tharman met with Philippine President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos for a bilateral meeting at the Malacañang Palace in Manila.
The Singaporean leader was received with the arrival honors given to heads of state, as well as the signing of the Palace’s guest book.
Earlier this afternoon, Marcos and Tharman had a discussion centered around the reaffirmation of the 55-year diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Singapore, and strengthening the collaboration of both countries in sectors such as healthcare and energy.
The bilateral ties between the two Southeast Asian nations began in May 1969.
The state visit of Tharman Shanmugaratnam marks the first time that a Singaporean President was hosted by the Philippines in five years.
His predecessor, former President Halimah Yacob, headed to the country in 2019, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship between the two ASEAN countries.