Good morning.

Thank you, Chief Luc, for your introduction. [Please sit down.]

The members of the Cabinet, both of those who are staying and those who are accompanying us. Malaki-laki ang delegation natin ng mga Cabinet secretary ngayon.

First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos; Pasay City Representative Antonino Calixto; Pasay City Mayor Imelda Calixto-Rubiano; Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner and the other Major Service Commanders; PNP Chief Nic Torre; Philippine Coast Guard Commandant
Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, who is also accompanying us today; fellow workers in government; ladies and gentlemen.

Good morning.

It is with high expectations and much anticipation that I leave for New Delhi upon the very gracious invitation of PM Narendra Modi.

India has been a long valued friend of the Philippines. Filipinos and Indians have had mutually beneficial interactions since pre-colonial times.

Throughout our history, Philippine culture has been deeply enriched by our exchanges with the Indian civilization, which have long influenced our language, our literature, customs, and even our folklore.

For instance, the term “Maharlika” – which in ancient Tagalog society was referred to “a class of freeman who were obligated to serve the Datu in battle” – is actually derived from Sanskrit, one of the ancient languages of the Indian subcontinent.

These early contacts between Filipinos and Indians, which were sustained and amplified by the commonalities in our values, in our cultures, have translated into a very long-standing strong friendship between our countries and our people[s].

This visit to India will cap [the] year-long commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic relations.

Our bilateral relations have seen a measured and stable development that are both comprehensive in scope and multifaceted in nature.

Our cooperation is manifested through our diplomatic engagements, strong societal and cultural bonds, robust commercial ties, and increasing institutional linkages and exchanges across different sectors, both in the public sector and in the private sector.

With the Philippines being the oldest constitutional democracy in Asia, and [India being] our continent’s largest democracy, our two countries share several core interests, such as our democratic ideals, our respect for basic freedoms, and the preservation of a rules-based order in the international arena.

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 the UNCLOS, and our unwavering commitment to regional peace and cooperation, serve as a credible foundation of our active and growing maritime cooperation.

I travel to India knowing that our commonalities will lead us to a deeper, broader, and more meaningful bilateral cooperation, both in the immediate future and up to our longer-term horizons, that will ultimately serve [to promote] peace, the stability, and prosperity for our two nations and the wider Indo-Pacific region.

There is much potential for cooperation with India that will mutually benefit our peoples. We intend to explore these by charting a plan of cooperation across a broad spectrum of shared interests: from defense, to trade, investment, health, pharmaceuticals, connectivity, agriculture, tourism, and many other areas.

In the lead up to this visit, we have already announced our grant of visa-free privileges for Indian travelers, which we expect will boost our tourism-related industries and further bring mutual understanding and mutual benefits.

I have with me several Cabinet Secretaries who will make certain that the vision of a close strategic relationship with India will turn into a reality as soon as possible, as we make our commitments at the highest levels of government and of business.

There are already Indian multinational companies that are operating in the Philippines in IT-BPM, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications industries, and many, many more other sectors.

I will personally lead a business delegation to New Delhi and Bengaluru to meet with the captains of their industries, especially in the IT sector, to explore potential investment opportunities for both sides.

I want this visit to bring concrete benefits to the people, such as more affordable medicine and greater connectivity and food security.

It is incumbent upon us, now more than ever, to maximize the opportunities in trade and investment with the world’s fourth largest economy.

I look forward to a productive visit and much closer Philippines-India relations.

Thank you. Maraming salamat at magandang umaga sa inyong lahat. [applause]

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