MANILA, Philippines – A day after delivering his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 24, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will head to Malaysia for a three-day state visit.

Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos will be in Malaysia from July 25 to 27, upon the invitation of the King of Malaysia, Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said in a Palace briefing on Friday, July 21.

The President will be joined by his Cabinet officials and a business delegation as part of his trade and investment promotion during the state visit.

“During this meeting, he will meet with both the Malaysian King, the 16th King of Malaysia, and the Prime Minister of Malaysia, and he will pursue bilateral cooperation in priority areas that are actually in support of the economic agenda of the country,” Daza said. 

The visit coincides with the 68th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the Philippines and Malaysia.

Daza said that topics of discussion between the two countries will be on agriculture, food security, tourism, digital economy and the people-to-people exchanges.

“But there will be new areas that will be explored, and this would include the halal industry and Islamic banking,” she added.

Marcos had met Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in March, when Anwar had a two-day official visit to the Philippines.

During his Malaysia trip, the President will meet with Malaysian business leaders for possible investments and other economic opportunities.

“We’re also expecting that the meeting with key Malaysian businessmen and business leaders will hopefully generate investment pledges from Malaysian companies,” Daza said.

The state visit to Malaysia will be Marcos’ 6th trip outside the country this year. It will also mark his fourth state visit, after Indonesia and Singapore in September 2022, and China in March this year. – Rappler.com