MANILA, Philippines – Mainit na sinalubong at tinanggap ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. si Vietnamese President To Lam sa Malakanyang, araw ng Lunes.
Si To Lam, kung saan ang bansa ay napaulat na pinalayas ang Tsina sa kanilang katubigan, dumating sa Pilipinas, dakong als-9 ng umaga, bago pa sa kanyang naging weekend attendance sa 2026 Shangri la Dialogue sa Singapore, kung saan binigyang-diin nito ang pangangailangan na “shift from passive response to proactive shaping” of rules to veer away from “managing crises after they erupt to mitigating risks before they escalate.”
Nauan rito, sinabi ng Malakanyang na ang pagbisita ni To Lam — isa ring General Secretary ng Central Committee of the Communist Party ng Vietnam ay makasaysayan, dahil tanda ito ng “the first State Visit of Vietnam’s party leader to the Philippines.”
“At the bilateral meeting, it is expected that the discussions of the two leaders will reflect on the five decades of robust cooperation between the Philippines and Vietnam,” ayon sa kalatas ng Presidential Communications Office (PCO).
“The two leaders will also seek to reinforce the relationship, centered on more dynamic collaboration in trade and investment, food security, defense and maritime cooperation, education, tourism and people-to-people exchanges,” ang nakasaad pa rin sa kalatas ng PCO.
“It also comes at the cusp of the 50th Anniversary of the Philippines and Vietnam Diplomatic relations and a decade of the two countries’ Strategic Partnership,” ayon pa rin sa PCO.
“Vietnam remains as the Philippines sole Strategic Partner in Southeast Asia, founded on the longstanding and productive engagements among officials, the private sector and at the grassroots level,” dagdag na pahayag ng PCO.
Matatandaang, noong naakaraan buwan, nag-commit ang Pilipinas na aangkat ng 1.5 milyong metriko tonaleda ng bigas mula Vietnam hanggang 2027 para masiguro na sapat ang suplay ng bigas. (KRIS JOSE)
