President Bongbong Marcos flies to Indonesia on Sunday, September 4 for his first state visit since winning the May 2022 elections.
Marcos is expected to meet the Filipino community in Jakarta upon his arrival in the Southeast Asian country.
“This is to once again put the Philippines in a position where we have strong alliances and strong partnerships which are necessary for us to come out of the post-pandemic economy,” Marcos said in a speech before his departure.
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“So I leave to undertake my first state visit to our immediate neighbors, Indonesia and Singapore. In other words, ako’y mangangapit-bahay para sa ating bansa at para sa ating ekonomiya,” he added.
Marcos will be in Indonesia from September 4-6.
After his Indonesia trip, Marcos will go to Singapore for another state visit.
“We’ll be discussing the current state and the future as we see it of the bilateral relationship between the Philippines and Indonesia and the changing geopolitical environment,” Marcos said.
Marcos has designated Vice President Sara Duterte to be the country’s officer-in-charge during his state visits in Indonesia and Singapore this week.
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“To ensure continuity of government service, it is necessary to designate the Officer-in-Charge to take care of the day-to-day operations in the Office of the President and oversee the general administration of the Executive Department,” Marcos said in a special order.
Duterte can also “act on behalf of the President, except on matters that the constitution requires the President to act in person, during the times the President is outside the Philippines from 04-07 September 2022,” the order added.
Marcos said all departments and government agencies must assist the Vice President on her tasks.
