Marcos caps India trip with $446-M direct investments, stronger ties

BENGALURU, August 9 ------ President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ended his five-day state visit to India on Friday with USD446 million in direct investment pledges and a renewed commitment to expand cooperation between Manila and New Delhi. “In terms of actual direct investment, we have already secured USD446 million… that is already what we have decided at the end of this trip,” Marcos told the Philippine media delegation in a press briefing before flying back to Manila.

Marcos added that he expects more commitments to follow. "Estimate lang namin dyan (We estimate that) with the several other areas, is the potential for investment of about USD5.6 (to) USD5.7 billion. So, malaking bagay talaga. India is a very, very strong economy."

The President described his inaugural visit to India as “a new beginning” for Philippine-India relations, citing “very encouraging” exchanges with Indian leaders and business executives. “The whole range of possibilities has now become clear to us… I am very happy with the results and glad we have opened new lines of communication,” he said.

Marcos arrived in New Delhi on Aug. 4 and met with the Filipino community before holding bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu. Both sides witnessed the signing of 13 agreements covering defense, maritime cooperation, agriculture, fintech, and cultural exchange.

In an interview with Indian media, Marcos reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to defending Philippine sovereignty amid the Indo-Pacific tensions. He lauded India as a “responsible major power” for abiding by international tribunal rulings on maritime disputes — in contrast to China’s rejection of the 2016 arbitral award on the South China Sea.

The New Delhi leg concluded with a foreign policy address at the Observer Research Foundation, where Marcos called on democracies to safeguard the global commons and uphold international law. In Bengaluru, he engaged Indian and Filipino business leaders from key sectors such as information technology and business process management, fintech, telecoms, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, manufacturing, and infrastructure. He urged Indian firms to “bet on the Philippines” as a strategic investment destination, citing its young and skilled workforce and location in the Indo-Pacific.

Source: pna.gov.ph