The governments of the Philippines and South Korea vowed to strengthen their bilateral relations during a meeting on Friday, July 1, as the country ushered in the new administration of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.
The Philippine delegation was headed by Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez, a former House majority leader; and other members of Congress, including presidential son and Ilocos Norte 1st district Rep. Ferdinand Alexander "Sandro" Marcos.
Romualdez and Korea’s Majority Leader Kweon Seong Dong discussed “the expected stronger bilateral relations between the Philippines and Korea” under the new administration.
Romualdez, the President’s cousin and who is believed to be the next House Speaker in upcoming the 19th Congress, also gifted Kweon and the Korean delegation with “a replica of a true-to-scale miniature model of a Philippine jeepney made of crystal glass” during the late Friday meeting at the Manila Golf and Country Club in Makati City.
With Romualdez and Marcos were Reps. Maricar Zamora of Davao de Oro, David Suarez of Quezon, Geraldine Roman of Bataan, Manuel "Mannix" Dalipe of Zamboanga City, and Antonio "Tonypet" Albano of Isabela.
The Korean delegation, on the other hand, was composed of Kweon, Korean Ambassador Kim Inchul, Seo Il Jun, Yang Khum Hee, Kim Sun Kyo, Bae June Young, Lee Joo Hwan, Park Hyeung Soo, and Gang Gi Hoon.
The Marcos administration officially began its term on Friday, July 1, after the President got a majority mandate to the tune of 31 million of votes during the recently concluded May 2022 elections.
As for Sandro, this was his first foray into politics as congressman after he earned his Master’s degree at the London School of Economics and Political Science.