MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: Magandang umaga, Malacañang Press Corps, and welcome sa ating pre-departure briefing ngayong araw, May 24.

Next week, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is set to depart for Brunei Darussalam for a state visit to be followed by his participation at the International Institute for Strategic Studies Shangri-La Dialogue 2024 in Singapore.

President Marcos is expected to hold bilateral meetings with officials of the Brunei sultanate and visit the Filipino community there.

In Singapore, he will be delivering a keynote address marking the opening of the 21st edition of the Shangri-La Dialogue. This dialogue will be participated in by defense and military officials and experts, as well as business leaders to discuss critical security challenges around the globe.

We are joined today by Department of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Maria Teresita Daza and Assistant Secretary Aileen Mendiola-Rau to tell us more about the activities of President Marcos next week.

Good morning, Ambassador Daza and Assistant Secretary Rau.

AMBASSADOR DAZA: Thank you, Daphne. And good morning, Malacañang Press Corps, as well as the DFA Press Corps.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos will be undergoing visits to Brunei Darussalam and Singapore from 28 May 2024 to 31 May 2024 upon the respective invitations of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Negara Brunei Darussalam, and former Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong.

The president will be travelling to Brunei on 28 to 29 May to undertake his first state visit to the Sultanate. While in Brunei, the president will be meeting with His Majesty, the Sultan, who is also Sultan Head of State of Brunei Darussalam. The president will also meet with the Filipino community where he will highlight the contribution of more than 25,000 Filipinos currently residing in Brunei. There will be a business forum where the president will meet with top members of the business sector to promote trade and investment relations between the Philippines and Brunei Darussalam. The Philippines and Brunei are strong regional partners, are members of APEC, ASEAN and the BIMP-EAGA.

As Daphne has mentioned, in Singapore, the president will deliver the keynote address at the 21st Edition of the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue. The Shangri-La Dialogue is an annual inter-governmental security forum held in Singapore and it’s started in 2002. It is organized by the IISS or the International Institute of Strategic Studies which is a leading think-tank specializing in security and defense issues.

The dialogue will provide a good platform for defense ministers, military chiefs, government officials and security experts around the world to discuss and address regional and global security challenges.

While in Singapore, the president will also meet with the new leadership of the country, of Singapore, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. The president, likewise, will have a brief meeting with the former Prime Minister and currently Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue.

This ends the overview, and I will turn the mic to Asec. Rau who will expound on the significance of these visits. Thank you.

DFA ASEC. MENDIOLA-RAU: Good morning, Daphne, Ambassador Daza. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen of the Malacañang Press Corps.

As Spokesperson Ambassador Daza mentioned, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos will be conducting their state visit to Brunei Darussalam from 28 to 29 May 2024, and directly afterwards, the First Couple will be flying directly to Singapore where the president will be undertaking a working visit to Singapore to deliver the keynote address of the 21st Edition of the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue.

This will be the president’s first state visit to Brunei Darussalam. This year marks 40 years of relations between the Philippines and Brunei Darussalam as both countries established bilateral relations in 1984. Aside from the robust bilateral relations between the two countries, Brunei is the Philippines’ close partner in a number of multilateral organizations particularly in ASEAN and in the BIMP-EAGA. Our ties are multifaceted encompassing cooperation in defense and security, maritime, agriculture and trade, as well as people-to-people relations.

The state visit is a signal of our vibrant relations as both countries conducted the joint commission for bilateral cooperation chaired by the DFA last year. This state visit will provide an avenue for both leaders to take stock of the progress of our commitments and ongoing bilateral undertakings, and fine tune them accordingly.

Aside from being part of the tradition of the ASEAN leaders visiting fellow ASEAN countries, this state visit is in line with the president’s commitment to continue exploring avenues for economic growth and job opportunities for Filipinos as the business forum is aimed to boost trade and investments into the country.

Meanwhile, the working visit in Singapore will see the president deliver the keynote address to the 21st Edition of the Shangri-La Dialogue. Only one leader delivers this address every year, and President Marcos was given the distinct honor for this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue.

As Ambassador Daza mentioned, this dialogue is attended by multiple stakeholders in the defense field ranging from heads of governments, heads of states, and defense of ministers to industry players. Through this platform, the Philippines will have the opportunity to provide these stakeholders an important source of accurate, objective information on international strategic issues important to the region. We expect about 40 countries to be attending this Shangri-La Dialogue with about 500 participants.

On the sidelines of the visit, the president will also meet with the new Singaporean president, as well as with the new Singaporean Prime Minister who was just sworn in just last week, May 15. This year also commemorates the 55 years of Philippines-Singapore diplomatic relations, and the meeting between the new Singaporean leaders and the president comes at this very auspicious juncture.

Also, very recently if you recall, Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan was also in Manila and this is all part and parcel of our celebration of the 55 years. This foreign visit demonstrates the president’s commitment to ensuring a peaceful, secure and prosperous Philippines for all of our country here and abroad. Thank you.

MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: Thank you so much. Okay, now we open the floor. Racquel Bayan, Radyo Pilipinas.

RACQUEL BAYAN/RADYO PILIPINAS: Good morning, ma’am. You mentioned earlier that this is an annual event, ma’am. Is this the first time that a Philippine president will be going to speak in the dialogue?

DFA ASEC. MENDIOLA-RAU: Yes, it is the first time that’s why it’s a very distinct honor for the president.

RACQUEL BAYAN/RADYO PILIPINAS: All right, ma’am. And then, hindi lang po limited sa defense officials and experts po iyong audience – mayroon din pong state government you mentioned earlier. Mayroon po kayang possibility na magkaroon ng bilateral meeting si Pangulong Marcos sa sidelines noong dialogue?

DFA ASEC. MENDIOLA-RAU: Yes, there are some heads of governments also attending the Shangri-La Dialogue and some parliamentarians. So, we expect several side meetings during the Shangri-La Dialogue and you will be finding out once we complete all the arrangements. Thank you.

RACQUEL BAYAN/RADYO PILIPINAS: Lastly na lang po, ma’am, with regards po sa rising COVID-19 sa Singapore. Mayroon po kaya tayong mga arrangement or i-implement na special health protocol sa Singapore, like for example iyong ginawa po natin sa China na bubble setup?

DFA ASEC. MENDIOLA-RAU: Right now, Singapore does not have this bubble setup just like in China. But we will, of course, the usual DOH/WHO proposals or the usual protocols that they have informed all of us. So, we will be closely following that.

RACQUEL BAYAN/RADYO PILIPINAS: Ma’am, sorry. Iyong bilateral meeting po ng pangulo natin kasama iyong mga leaders ng Singapore, ano po kaya iyong possible na i-brought up ni Pangulong Marcos?

DFA ASEC. MENDIOLA-RAU: As you know, Singapore is an economic powerhouse so this is one of the main points that we will be taking up; and of course, we want to ensure that the relationship continues under the new administration in Singapore.

MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: Okay. Ivan Mayrina, GMA7.

IVAN MAYRINA/GMA-7: Ano po kaya ang expected outcomes ng trip na ito in relation to advancing our interest in the West Philippine Sea considering the recent developments in the region?

DFA ASEC. MENDIOLA-RAU: I presume for all meetings and as well as the speech of the president, his keynote address, this issue will be touched but I do not wish to preempt the statements of the president.

IVAN MAYRINA/GMA-7: Considering that … especially the Shangri-La Dialogue, heads of state, defense ministers, industry players will be there. So, I was wondering kung ano kaya iyong … the outcomes that we might be hoping for after this visit?

DFA ASEC. MENDIOLA-RAU: I’m sorry, I don’t want to preempt the statement of the president. Thank you.

AMBASSADOR DAZA: When you have a forum such as this, it gives a good platform for a country to actually expound and articulate its position on key issues. So, it will be an important platform for us to actually also convey our positions relative to what is happening within the region and what we are advocating for. So, it’s something that is useful not only for those who are attending but also for the country who’s actually participating in this international forum.

MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: Thank you. Go back to Maricel.

MARICEL HALILI/TV5: Hi, magandang umaga po. Ma’am, may we know since this is the first state visit of the president in Brunei, are we going to expect agreements that will be signed during his visit?

DFA ASEC. MENDIOLA-RAU: Yes, we are actually currently in the process of finalizing text for several MOUs. But I can inform you that the MOUs that we are working with, with the Bruneian side, will include priority areas ranging from agriculture to food security, maritime cooperation, tourism.

MARICEL HALILI/TV5: And, puwede pong paki-elaborate kung ano iyong mga topics that will be discussed between the President and Sultan Bolkiah?

DFA ASEC. MENDIOLA-RAU: Without preempting the discussions between the two heads of states, but we want to focus on economic cooperation. As you know, Brunei is a powerhouse in terms of energy but they are also a good market also for us.

MARICEL HALILI/TV5: Ma’am, I understand you’re still finalizing iyong mga side meetings ni President sa Singapore. But, may we have an idea kung ilan iyong ini-expect natin or iyong ina-arrange natin na leaders sa side meetings?

DFA ASEC. MENDIOLA-RAU: We are looking at, at least two foreign officials – not necessarily their level.

MARICEL HALILI/TV5: Okay, thank you.

MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: Okay. Alvin Baltazar, Radyo Pilipinas.

ALVIN BALTAZAR/RADYO PILIPINAS: Magandang umaga po. Just to be specific po doon sa business side na maaatenan [attend] din ni Pangulong Marcos, how many business agreements po iyong inaasahan natin na mapagkakasunduan o pipirmahan ni Pangulong Marcos?

DFA ASEC. MENDIOLA-RAU: For this, it would have to be the DTI to answer that question. Thank you.

MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: Any more questions? Jean Mangaluz, Inquirer.net.

JEAN MANGALUZ/INQUIRER.NET: Hi, ma’am. You mentioned that this is a forum to give accurate information on strategic situations. Do you see this as an opportunity to counter disinformation campaigns by certain countries when it comes to, let’s say the West Philippine Sea?

DFA ASEC. MENDIOLA-RAU: Certainly it would be an opportunity, but I don’t want to preempt the keynote address of the president.

MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: Okay. Birthday girl, Eden Santos, Net25.

EDEN SANTOS/NET25: Good morning po. Gusto lang po naming malaman kung kasama po ba ang China doon sa Shangri-La Dialogue?

DFA ASEC. MENDIOLA-RAU: Happy birthday, Eden. Definitely, actually if you’re interested in details in the Shangri-La Dialogue, information is available on the website and I saw the list – I believe, yes, there will be a delegation from China. Thank you.

MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: All right. We’re good, yeah? This concludes our press briefing. Thank you very much, Spokesperson Ambassador Daza and Assistant Secretary Rau; and thank you, Malacañang Press Corps.

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