House Speaker Martin Romualdez and his Malaysian counterpart met in Manila on Tuesday, Jan. 28, as both legislators reaffirmed the connection--particularly the inter-parliamentary relations--between the two neighboring countries.

Romualdez welcomed Tan Sri Dato' Johari Bin Abdul, speaker of Malaysia's House of Representatives, at the Batasan Pambansa Complex as the latter visited Manila—a move that the Filipino leader described as "a concrete manifestation of the Philippines and Malaysia's enduring mutual respect and cooperation as members of AIPA (ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly)".

The House Speaker further described his Malaysian counterpart's trip as Kuala Lumpur's "reaffirmation to revitalize their desire to work together for the enhancement of their relations, sharing the same vision of achieving regional peace and economic development".

Philippine congressmen expressed their appreciation for Abdul's visit by adopting House Resolution (HR) No. 2192 on Monday, Jan. 27.

"As immediate neighbors, the Philippines and Malaysia recognize the importance of maintaining peace and security in the ASEAN region and agree to continue cooperation on political and security matters, rekindling the joint initiatives and meetings to combat transnational crime and terrorism, and reinvigorate trade and investment exchanges, with a special focus on the halal industry, agriculture and food security, and the digital economy," HR No.2192 read.

The congressmen said that as trading partners, the Philippines and Malaysia exchanged goods with a total value of 36.12 billion Malaysian ringgit (US$7.92 billion) in 2023, making the Philippines Malaysia's 17th largest global partner and the fifth largest among Association of Southeast Asian (ASEAN) members.

The congressmen said that "Since 1959, Philippines and Malaysia have diplomatic relations, which was officially upgraded to a consulate on May 18, 1964, and both countries have remained dedicated to mutual respect and collaboration."

In its resolution, the House also expressed its sincere appreciation to Malaysia for accepting the task of hosting the 46th AIPA General Assembly to be held in Kuala Lumpur in September this year, and for inviting Speaker Romualdez to attend and send a delegation to the conference.

"As Malaysia and the Philippines look forward to Malaysia’s ASEAN chairmanship in 2025 and its hosting of the 46th AIPA General Assembly in September 2025, these events reinforce the importance of unity and cooperation in navigating the challenges and opportunities ahead," the resolution read.