President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. highlighted the profound commonalities and shared values that underpin the enduring friendship between the Philippines and India, moments before departing for a state visit to the Republic of India. The President emphasized how historical exchanges have significantly enriched Philippine culture, influencing language, literature, customs, and folklore.
“For instance, the term ‘Maharlika,’ which in ancient Tagalog society referred to a class of freemen obligated to serve the Datu in battle, is derived from Sanskrit, one of the ancient languages of the Indian subcontinent,” President Marcos noted. He added that these early contacts, sustained by shared cultural values, have fostered a “very long-standing strong friendship between our countries and our people.”
President Marcos also underscored the two nations’ shared commitment to democratic values and the maintenance of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific Region. “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,” the President stated.
This mutual adherence to a rules-based international order forms a robust foundation for enhanced maritime cooperation. President Marcos elaborated on the shared interests driving this collaboration: “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.”
President Marcos expressed optimism for the visit, stating, “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 peace, the stability, and prosperity for our two nations and the wider Indo-Pacific region.”
President Marcos’s state visit to New Delhi and Bengaluru, upon the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is scheduled from August 4 to 8.
