Presumptive president Bongbong Marcos continues to speak with other heads of state who congratulate him for his apparent victory in the May 9 elections.
On Friday, May 20, it was Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's turn to engage the incoming Filipino leader in a phone conversation and greet him for his triumph.
“I thank Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for his warm congratulatory message via a phone call this morning. We were able to have a preliminary discussion about Japan-Philippines partnership, which I said is very important and has been one of mutual benefit to our two countries,” said Marcos, 64.
The phone conversation lasted 15 minutes, according to the Marcos camp.
Marcos told Kishida that he hopes "to promote better and stronger bilateral cooperation between the Philippines and Japan".
The former UniTeam candidate added that he expressed hope of not only continuing but also increasing all engagements in every aspect of relations between the two countries.
“I told him that I would like to deepen the cooperation in a wide range of fields in the future and we agreed to work together to strengthen it,” Marcos said.
The presumptive president further disclosed that they also exchanged views on current regional developments, and that both of them have committed to work together for peace and prosperity in the region.
He added they also agreed to meet face-to-face as soon as possible and engage in a deeper dialogue.