Philippines President Marcos Jr. to go to India as two sides deepen maritime cooperation

In a transfer aimed toward deepening maritime cooperation with the southeast Asian area, India will host Philippines President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. throughout August 4-8. This would be the first go to by President Marcos Jr, son of the late President Ferdinand Marcos who visited India in 1976.

The Ministry of External Affairs stated the go to would formally start with the ceremonial reception on the Rashtrapati Bhavan which might be adopted by a go to by President Marcos Jr. to the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat. Soon after the welcome ceremony on the Rashtrapati Bhavan, President Marcos Jr. will maintain delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the 2 sides signing a number of agreements and MoUs. On August 7, he’ll go to Bengaluru.

The go to is being seen because the end result of sustained political-level dialogue whilst they strengthened maritime cooperation as each Philippines and India are robust proponents of freedom of navigation within the South China Sea. Mr. Modi had met President Marcos Jr. on the sidelines of twenty first ASEAN-India Summit and the nineteenth East Asia Summit in Vientiane, Lao PDR in October 2024. They had additionally met on the sidelines of the twentieth ASEAN-India Summit in Jakarta in September 2023. Earlier, Mr. Modi had congratulated President Marcos Jr after his electoral victory in 2022.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had met Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines Enrique A. Manalo on March 18, 2025 when Mr. Manalo participated within the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi. The Ministers additionally met in Vientiane, on July 25, 2024, on the sidelines of the ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers’ assembly. Mr. Jaishankar had visited the Philippines from March 25-27, 2025. During the go to, he met Secretary Manalo and the Secretary of National Defence of the Philippines, Teodoro Gilbert, and referred to as on President Marcos Jr.

The Marcos household has been a part of Philippine politics for greater than half century. President Ferdinand Marcos who had imposed martial legislation in Philippines in 1972, visited India in May 1976 on his means again from the fourth session of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which befell in Nairobi in May 1976.

The upcoming five-day go to is drawing consideration because it begins quickly after a number of Indian Navy destroyers reached the Port of Manila to conduct joint patrol of the West Philippine Sea with the Philippine Navy. On August 1, Indian Naval Ships INS Delhi, INS Shakti and INS Kiltan of the Eastern Fleet led by Rear Admiral Susheel Menon had been welcomed in Philippines. Armed Forces of Philippines Chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. advised the Philippines media that the presence of the Indian destroyers was a “clear demonstration” of mutual resolve to protect the maritime area. The improvement comes months after the primary India-Philippines Maritime Dialogue was held in December 2024.