President Marcos and King Mohammed VI of the Kingdom of Morocco renewed both countries' relationship as the two nations marked 50 years of diplomatic ties this year.

In his message to King Mohammed dated April 10, President Marcos highlighted the significance of the milestone.

"This major milestone in our bilateral relations not only allows us to reflect on the achievements of the past five decades but also provides the direction for steering our partnership towards mutual growth and prosperity for the next 50 years," he said.

President Marcos reaffirmed his government's commitment to improving the relationship between the two countries.

"I take this opportunity to reaffirm my government's commitment to deepen our cooperation in areas of mutual interest and benefit, particularly fostering people-to-people exchanges and enhancing trade and investment," he said.

In an earlier letter addressed to President Marcos, King Mohammed said he values the close, longstanding bonds enjoyed by both nations in various sectors.

"The past five decades of Morocco-Philippines relations stand out as a model of bilateral ties rooted in mutual esteem and fruitful cooperation," he wrote.

The King highlighted the positive results of their relationship.

"Our relationship has led to tangible, positive results in several fields, reflecting the depth of the close friendship and mutual understanding between our two nations," he said.

The King assured Marcos of Morocco's commitment to strengthening cooperation.

"As we celebrate this historic event, I wish to assure Your Excellency of the Kingdom of Morocco's commitment to continue working with you to strengthen our cooperation and explore new horizons for partnership," he said.

"The aim is to give fresh momentum to our bilateral relations and take them to a higher level in order to fulfill our shared aspirations and contribute to promoting peace and stability at the regional and international levels," he added.

King Mohammed said he was looking forward to what the future holds for Morocco and the Philippines.

"I keenly look forward to the promotion of cooperation and coordination between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of the Philippines," he said.

"I also hope our partnership will be strengthened and expanded in various sectors in the coming years, for the mutual benefit of our peoples," he added.

The Philippines and Morocco established diplomatic ties on April 10, 1975, and have made great strides in all aspects of bilateral ties since then, according to the Philippine Embassy in Morocco.

"In the last ten years, with the opening of their respective embassies in each other’s capitals, total trade has tripled from the 2017 figures to last year’s. Even people-to-people exchanges have significantly grown, increasing awareness amongst both peoples," it said.

In 2023, the Embassies of the Philippines in Rabat and Morocco in Manila launched the commemorative logo, which consists of the Philippines’ haribon (eagle) and Morocco’s barbary (lion) that make up the image of “50.”

"While the eagle is known as the ruler of the skies and the lion as the ruler of the earth, the two creatures are recognized as symbols of strength, courage, and power," it said.

"Both images are facing the forward direction with eyes horizontally aligned to depict the idea of unison in achieving goals beneficial to both countries," it added.

The Embassy also said that the logo’s elements and vibrant colors represent the colors of the national flags of the two countries, while the gold color on top represents the golden anniversary of its diplomatic partnership.