US, ASIAN ENVOYS PAY COURTESY CALL ON MARCOS

The ambassadors to Manila of India, Japan and South Korea paid on Monday a courtesy call on presumptive President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at his national campaign headquarters in Mandaluyong City.

Marcos also met with the United States Chargé d’Affaires.

Indian Ambassador Shambhu Kumaran conveyed a letter from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulating Marcos for his “resounding election victory.”

Marcos assured Japanese Ambassador to Manila Koshikawa Kazuhiko during his visit that once he formally assumes the presidency on June 30, he intends to further strengthen ties and expand areas of cooperation between Japan and the Philippines.

South Korean Ambassador Kim In-chul also paid a courtesy call on Marcos and was given a similar assurance. With the South Korean ambassador, the presumptive president said he proposed for nuclear power experts to look into the Bataan nuclear power plant so they could determine if it could be reopened or a new one should be constructed.

At a press briefing following the envoys’ visits, Kumaran said that after he delivered the Indian prime minister’s letter he discussed future development partnerships and possible areas of cooperation between India and the Philippines.

‘Continued support’

“We requested [Marcos’] continued support for the development of the excellent bilateral relations between India and the Philippines and we’ve been having excellent progress over the past few years and we look forward to continuing the progress and dynamism under the new administration,” the Indian ambassador to Manila pointed out.

Kumaran noted that the two countries’ relationship is driven by two pillars: developmental partnership and national security; and that India is one of the Philippines’ strongest partners in the health sector.

“The president-elect was very keen to see domestic manufacturing of pharmaceutical products,” he said, pointing out that many pharmaceutical products come from India.