President Marcos' participation in the upcoming IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore will give the Philippines an opportunity to raise its concerns in the region amid ongoing tension in the West Philippine Sea.
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza on Friday, May 24, stressed the importance of the President's attendance at the upcoming dialogue that she said would be “a good platform for (the) country to actually expound and articulate its position on key issues.”
“The Shangri-La Dialogue is an annual inter-governmental security forum held in Singapore and it started in 2002," Daza briefed the media in a press conference ahead of Marcos' departure.
Marcos will be in Singapore from May 29 to deliver a keynote address at the forum—the first for a Philippine president—and bilateral talks with several foreign officials.
Prior to that trip, he will make his first state visit to Brunei to explore opportunities for possible economic partnership with the small Southeast Asian neighbor.
According to Daza, the Shangri-la Dialogue will provide a good platform for defense ministers, military chiefs, government officials and security experts around the world to discuss and address regional and global security challenges.
"So, it will be an important platform for us to actually also convey our positions relative to what is happening within the region... what we are advocating for," Daza said.
"So, it’s something that is useful not only for those who are attending, but also for the country who’s actually participating in this international fora," she added.
The dialogue will come at a time when tension between the Philippines and China rises, stemming from disputes in the West Philippine Sea that has led to various harassment in the waters by China against Filipino troops and even wiretapping.
China continues to assert its illegal claim over the waters, which is opposed by over a dozen countries in and outside the region.