01-08-2025
PH set to boost maritime ties with India with of Marcos visit
The Philippines is looking to expand its maritime cooperation with India as President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. prepares for a state visit to New Delhi and Bangalore next week.
'Part of our ongoing relationship with India is in maritime cooperation activities. So we look forward to expanding these,' said Assistant Secretary Evangeline Ong Jimenez-Ducrocq of the Department of Foreign Affairs–Office of Asian and Pacific Affairs (DFA-ASPAC) during a pre-departure briefing on Friday.
The President's visit, scheduled from August 4 to 8, comes at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Marcos will meet with Indian leaders and business groups in both cities to explore further cooperation in various sectors.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) earlier announced that the Philippine Navy and the Indian Navy will conduct their first-ever joint maritime cooperative activity in the West Philippine Sea.
'The joint activity will be the first of its kind in the West Philippine Sea—a region increasingly central to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific,' the AFP said in a statement.
India's Eastern Fleet flotilla, composed of guided-missile destroyer INS Mysore (D60), anti-submarine corvette INS Kiltan (D30), and replenishment vessel INS Shakti (A57), is currently docked at the Port of Manila for goodwill activities ahead of the joint maritime exercise.
