00:00Meanwhile, the president earlier today headed to the planet's largest democracy and fourth biggest economy on a personal invite by his counterpart, India Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with whom he will rekindle a close friendship that just turned a diamond this year.
00:13His state visit will cover deals inked on bilateral issues like defense, food security and technology, and the requisite meet and greet with hundreds of Filipinos on the day of his trip, as Arclise El Pardillo reports.
00:26President Ferdinand R. Marcus Jr. has departed for India for his five-day official state visit.
00:34The visit is in response to the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of the celebration of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and India.
00:44President Marcus aims to strengthen peace, stability and prosperity between the two nations.
00:48Our commonalities will lead us to a deeper, broader, more meaningful bilateral cooperation, both in the immediate future and up to our longer term horizons, that will ultimately serve the peace, the stability and prosperity for our two nations in the wider Indo-Pacific region.
01:09As coastal states located in a geostrategic area of the Indo-Pacific, the administration sees growing maritime cooperation.
01:17This includes collaboration in upholding maritime law, such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral Award.
01:26A cooperation plan is expected to be discussed covering defense, trade and investment, tourism, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, healthcare information technology.
01:36I want this visit to bring concrete benefits to the people, such as more affordable medicine and greater connectivity and food security.
01:46It is incumbent upon us now more than ever to maximize the opportunities in trade and investment with the world's fourth largest economy.
01:56The president will arrive in New Delhi, where he will immediately meet with the Filipino community.
02:00This will be followed by official engagements, including a courtesy call on Indian President Drupadi Mormo, and a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi.
02:10The president will also meet with Bharatiya Janata, Party President and Health Minister, Jagat Prakash Noda, and will attend two business forums.
02:18I will personally lead a business delegation to New Delhi and Bengaluru to meet with the captains of their industries, especially in the IT sector, to explore potential investment opportunities for both sides.
02:33On the final day of the visit, President Marcos will speak at a foreign policy forum and will hold a coffee meeting with the media before returning to the Philippines.
02:41The official visit is scheduled to conclude on Friday, August 8th.
02:44I look forward to a productive visit and much closer Philippines-India relations.
02:50This is Sharm Zespina from the National TV Network for a new and better Philippines.
