Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno joined the official delegation to President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s state visit to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from July 25 to 27, 2023 to foster stronger bilateral ties between the two countries.

The state visit, at the invitation of His Majesty King Al-Sultan Abdullah, will focus on forging stronger partnerships in priority areas such as agriculture, food security, tourism, digital economy, and overseas Filipinos’ welfare. It will also seek new areas of cooperation on the Halal industry and Islamic banking.

On July 25, 2023, the President met with the Filipino community at the EQ Hotel Kuala Lumpur.

According to Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia Charles C. Jose, there are currently around 900,000 Filipinos residing and working in Malaysia.

Recognizing their invaluable contributions to both the Philippine and Malaysian economies, the President expressed his gratitude to the overseas Filipinos for their utmost support. He also assured them that the government is working hard to uphold overseas Filipinos’ welfare and protection, attract job-generating foreign investments in the Philippines, and create an economic environment conducive to better opportunities for more Filipinos.

Following the gathering, the Philippine delegation was introduced to the Malaysian delegation and heads of foreign missions at the Istana Negara, Malaysia’s National Palace on July 26, 2023.

His Majesty King Al-Sultan Abdullah and Queen Azizah Aminah Maimunah welcomed President Marcos and First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos. Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his wife, Dato’ Seri Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, also joined the State Welcome Ceremony.

The President underscored the significance of the two countries’ memberships in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Brunei Darussalam–Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), saying that regional cooperation will be crucial to achieving economic transformation post-pandemic.

A bilateral meeting was also held between President Marcos and Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim to affirm the strengthened bilateral relations between the Philippines and Malaysia.

Next year, the Philippines and Malaysia are set to celebrate 60 years of formal diplomatic relations.