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The Star
04-08-2025
- Business
- The Star
Marcos flies to India for five-day state visit
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr, confers with several Cabinet members and government officials on Aug 4 before flying to India for a five-day state visit. - PDI/ANN MANILA: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. left for India on Monday morning (Aug 4) for a five-day state visit. The plane carrying Marcos left at around 10:44 a.m. In his pre-departure statement, Marcos highlighted the Philippines and India's maritime ties, emphasising their shared strategic interests and values. 'Our geostrategic position as coastal states that border the busiest international trade routes and critical sea lines of communication in the Indo-Pacific region, our shared interest in protecting the rights and welfare of our international seafarers, our steadfastness in upholding international maritime law, including Unclos and the 2016 Arbitral Award, and our unwavering commitment to regional peace and cooperation serve as credible foundations of our active and growing maritime cooperation,' he said. Marcos said he plans to explore ways the Philippines and India can work together in many areas, including defence, trade, investment, health, pharmaceuticals, connectivity, agriculture, tourism and more. He also hoped that the two countries' commonalities would lead to a 'deeper, broader, and more meaningful' bilateral cooperation that would promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the wider Indo-Pacific region. 'I want this visit to bring concrete benefits for the Filipino people, such as more affordable medicine and greater connectivity and food security,' the President said. 'It is incumbent upon us, now more than ever, to maximise the opportunities in trade and investment with the world's fourth-largest economy,' he added. The state visit, scheduled from August 4 to 8, is at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Philippines and India are expected to sign at least six agreements during the visit, Office of Asian and Pacific Affairs Assistant Secretary Evangeline Ong Jimenez-Ducrocq said at a briefing last week. Among other activities of Marcos are a meeting with the Filipino community in New Delhi, a bilateral meeting with Modi, and a meeting with Indian President Droupadi Murmu and other key officials. Several Indian chief executive officers have also requested to meet Marcos in Bangalore, tagged as the 'Silicon Valley of India'. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
The Star
20-06-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Public transportation will be better by the end of 2025, says Marcos
This file photo taken on October 2022 shows long lines of commuters forming at the Ortigas Station of MRT 3 while the signaling system glitch was being fixed. - Courtesy of Cha Padilla via PDI/ANN MANILA: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told Filipino commuters that they can expect improved public transportation in late 2025. He said this is due to the scheduled completion of some phases of the government's big-ticket infrastructure projects in the transportation sector. In Part 3 of the BBM Podcast: Episode 2, uploaded on his social media accounts on Friday (June 20), Marcos was asked when commuters can expect relief from the daily ordeal of public commuting. He responded by expressing sympathy for their struggles, saying that he, along with his friends and family, had also experienced firsthand the inconvenience of the country's public transport system. 'I've felt that. One time, we rode the MRT, and once you get inside, if your hand ends up here, you won't be able to move it anymore,' he recalled, gesturing how cramped it is inside the trains. 'I was talking with the passengers. One of them said, 'Sir, it's really like this every day.' I know—it's extremely hot and very crowded,' he said. The Marcos administration is implementing some measures meant to benefit commuters. These projects include the '1 plus 3 promo' in the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 and Light Rail Transit Lines 1 and 2 every Sunday, as well as a 50 per cent fare discount for students. Marcos emphasised that the government is also focused on long-term solutions through major infrastructure projects, including the Metro Manila Subway and MRT-7. 'We will start to see the completion of some of the phases by late this year, next year,' Marcos said. The MRT Line 7 is expected to begin trial runs by the end of the year, according to its operator, San Miguel Corporation. Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said last Tuesday that they are making progress in securing the right-of-way to be able to push through with the construction of the Metro Manila Subway Project. He had also revealed plans to build another station of the LRT 1 in Bacoor to cater to more passengers as the government seeks to extend the railway to Cavite by 2030. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
