KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia

—The Philippines and Malaysia committed to "closely coordinate" their efforts in building capacity in the Bangsamoro Autonomous region as President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. gained Malaysia's commitment to explore new pacts such as Halal industry and Islamic banking. President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim deliver a joint press statement at the Prime Minister's Office in Putrajaya, Malaysia on July 26,2023.  (Ali Vicoy) During the joint press conference of Marcos and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the President announced that both governments had agreed on the matter. "Building on our bilateral relations, our governments commit to closely coordinate efforts to build capacity in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in southern Philippines, in Muslim Mindanao, especially on sectors such as the Halal industry, Islamic Banking, and Food Security," Marcos said after their bilateral meeting held at the Prime Minister's Office in Putrajaya on Wednesday, July 26. He said that both governments agreed to enhance their trade and investment ties, with Malaysia being one of the leading halal economies in the world. He further said that the cooperation of the two countries in this sector "would mutually benefit the growth of our respective halal ecosystems." For his part, the Prime Minister committed to work with the Philippines to ensure that Halal industry can penetrate into the Middle Eastern market. "We will certainly do our most in terms of the issue of certification but I think jointly we should undertake some effective measures to ensure that the Halal industry can penetrate more effectively into the Middle Eastern Market in particular," he said. Marcos also disclosed that Malaysia has offered their expertise to train Filipino personnel and officials to strengthen their capabilities in these increasingly important sectors. This as the Chief Executive expressed that Malaysia's efforts have been an important part of "whatever success that we might enjoy today." "[A]s I mark my second year as President of the Philippines, this state visit not only attests to the importance we place on Malaysia as a neighbor and as a partner in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), but also reaffirms the Philippines’ commitment to further cultivating our bonds and friendship especially as we look forward to celebrating our 60th anniversary of formal diplomatic relations with Malaysia next year," he said. Both leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to support each other's activities within the context of the ASEAN and the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA). "However, having said that, we also agreed that we can explore not only along multilateral lines, all of the issues that are facing us in the region, but also that there is use as well, there is utility as well in us promoting a bilateral relationship, especially between Malaysia and the Philippines and our other partners in ASEAN," the President said. "And I think that this is an important aspect – this will be an important aspect to all the issues that ASEAN is presently facing and to all the issues that the member states are presently worrying about," he added.