Marcos arrives in Singapore for Shangri-La Dialogue
At A Glance
- Marcos said his keynote address to the defense and security gathering in Singapore is highly important.
Following his State Visit to Brunei Darussalam, President Marcos arrived in Singapore on Wednesday, May 29, to deliver the keynote message for the 21st edition of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue on Friday.

The plane carrying Marcos and his delegation arrived in Singapore at 4:52 p.m. on Wednesday, two days before his address at the IISS on May 31.
During the dialogue, Marcos is expected to articulate before a global audience the Philippines’ position on defense and diplomacy, and its commitment to a rules-based order and constructive multilateralism amid geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific region.
In an interview in Brunei, the President said his keynote address to the defense and security gathering in Singapore is highly important.
“The fact that they asked the Philippine President to come and speak on that very subject is significant in the sense that it is a recognition that there are challenges that are facing the Philippines, specifically,” he said.
“This affects the region and it affects the world. So, what I will present in the Shangri-la forum [the] day after tomorrow is going to essentially try to explain the position of the Philippines both legally and geopolitically and diplomatically. And how we see the ways forward for the Philippines and for the region,” he added.
According to Marcos, the West Philippine Sea is vital to international trade and the stakeholders are no longer limited to Southeast Asia, Asia, and the Indo-Pacific because it now really involves the global economy.
He said this makes the Philippines’ position crucial in the decision-making of many of the policymakers around the world.
Marcos had just finished his two-day state visit to Brunei Darussalam when he arrived in Singapore.
During his two-day working visit to Singapore, the President will deliver his keynote message for the Shangri-La Dialogue, which will be attended by defense stakeholders such as heads of government, heads of state, and defense ministers to industry players from around 40 countries.
Aside from addressing the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, Marcos will have a series of high-level meetings with Singaporean officials as part.
President Marcos’ fourth visit to Singapore is upon the invitation of former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, and in time for the 55th anniversary of the establishment of the Philippine-Singapore diplomatic relations.