President Marcos renewed the Philippine government’s commitment to sustain the “vigor” of the bilateral relationship between the Philippines and Japan as Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida winds up his two-day state visit.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. toasts with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during the State Banquet at the Malacañang Palace on Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. (PPA POOL)
In his toast for the Japanese prime minister at the Malacañan Palace on Friday night, Nov. 3, the President sent a “message” of gratitude to the Japanese people.
“Excellency, please bring home this message to the Japanese people, that for their support, the Filipino people are grateful. Let us renew our commitment to sustaining the vigor of this relationship in its prime,” Marcos said.
He also recalled both leaders’ “ambition for a robust and future-oriented Strategic Partnership” that “will carry us through the uncertainty of our times.”
“We also articulated our long-held aspiration for the enduring friendship as the leaders of two great maritime nations and Indo-Pacific democracies,” the President added.
The Chief Executive made the remarks during the official banquet in honor of Kishida, his wife Madame Kishida Yuko, and other ministers and officials from both the Philippines and Japan.
Also in the banquet were First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr., newly appointed Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., and Armed Forces chief-of-staff Romeo Brawner Jr, among others.
Meanwhile, he also proposed a toast to the good health of Madame Kishida, to the prosperity and well-being of the Japanese nation, and to the enduring friendship between the two countries.
Marcos noted that the diplomatic relationship between the Philippines and Japan have been cultivated by common principles of democracy, respect for basic human rights, and the rule of law since it was established 67 years ago.
“Japan has provided us steadfast support and unwavering friendship through many decades. With patient and undistracted focus, we are building our realm of freedom, prosperity, and security together in the Indo-Pacific,” he said.