Marcos state visit to India set next week

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will embark on a five-day state visit to the Republic of India next week.

The visit is scheduled from August 4 to 8, upon the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

His first stop will be in New Delhi, and he will proceed to Bangalore for official meetings and events. 

The President will also meet with the business sector in both cities.

Aside from that, Marcos will have a meet and greet activity with the Filipino Community in New Delhi.

According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Marcos and the Prime Minister will hold a bilateral meeting on August 5, 2025. The Philippine President will also be meeting President Rastrapatiji Smt. Droupadi Murmu. 

Further, External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar, is also scheduled to call on Marcos during the visit.

Both nations have developed a strong partnership across a wide spectrum of areas, including trade and investment, defense and security, maritime cooperation, agriculture, healthcare, pharmaceuticals and digital technologies. 

The two countries are also engaging at a regional level, including through India’s Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the ASEAN.

The Philippines and India are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations in 2025.

Last February, Reuters quoted Indian sources as saying that India expects to sell short-range missiles to the Philippines this year in a deal worth more than $200 million.

The Akash missile system, developed by India’s defense research body, has drawn interest from the Philippines, which has told New Delhi it would make an order in the fiscal year that begins in April, said three sources.

The deal would follow India’s $375-million sale of the mid-range BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines in 2022. The missile system was delivered to the Philippine Marine Corps in April 2024, while the ground system was sent a month earlier.

The purchase comes at a time when Manila is building its military strength as tension escalates with Beijing on overlapping claims in the busy waterway of the South China Sea, where the two have clashed in recent years. — VDV/RSJ, GMA Integrated News