Bongbong Marcos off to US Indo-Pacific command in Hawaii

President Ferdinand Marcos attends the 67th anniversary celebration of the Naval Special Operations Command in Cavite.(Photo from JEAN MANGALUZ)

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is set to travel to the Indo-Pacific command of the United States (US) in Hawaii.

Marcos leaves for the US on November 14.

An official from Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the President has been invited.

“The President is being invited to visit the Indo-Pacific Command and he will also have a roundtable discussion with the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for security studies,” DFA Undersecretary Charles Jose said.

Marcos will be joined by the Philippine delegation during his visit to the Command.

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Jose also mentioned a security briefing on West Philippine Sea is likely.

The DFA official believes the trip “adds a layer to the cooperation that we are trying to establish with like-minded states, in order to promote what we have been advocating all along – a rules-based order.”

US Indo-Pacific Command is a unified combatant command consisting of US Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.

It maintains the presence of US military in Indian Ocean and nearby portions of the Pacific.

Marcos will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Summit 2023 in San Francisco, which will be held from November 15 to 17. After which, he will go to Los Angeles, and then to Honolulu, said Jose.

During the trip, Jose said that Marcos will meet with the Filipino communities in all three cities.