PBBM IN INDIA TO JOIN WORLD LEADERS AT BRICS SUMMIT

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. arrived in New Delhi, India on Friday night to join world leaders at the 18th BRICS Summit and meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to further strengthen the Philippines-India Strategic Partnership.

The plane carrying the President, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and several Cabinet secretaries touched down at 11:50 p.m. (local time) at the Palam Air Force Station in New Delhi.

The 18th BRICS Summit is scheduled from September 12 to 13, 2026.

President Marcos is participating in the two-day BRICS Summit in his capacity as Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with the Philippines also invited as an “Outreach Country” – a non-member nation allowed to participate in the bloc’s summit discussions and dialogues.

The President will join other world leaders expected to attend the summit, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Also attending are fellow Southeast Asian leaders, including Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, whose country is a full member of BRICS, as well as Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, whose countries are BRICS partners.

President Marcos will attend the summit’s Open Session on September 13, where he is expected to present the priorities and gains of the Philippines’ ASEAN Chairship and discuss pressing issues affecting developing countries and emerging economies.

In his departure statement, President Marcos said the Philippines will highlight ASEAN’s commitment to deepening engagement with its partners through established frameworks.

“We will call for fairer global governance, stronger disaster preparedness, and the responsible use of new technologies, climate action, and the peaceful settlement of disputes under international law,” the President said.

President Marcos said he will also share lessons from ASEAN’s long-standing commitment to an open and inclusive dialogue while preserving the region’s strategic autonomy.

Apart from the summit, President Marcos will meet with Prime Minister Modi to review progress in key areas of the Philippines-India Strategic Partnership, a year after the President’s State Visit to India.

“Prime Minister Modi and I will review the progress in the implementation of the Five-Year Plan of Action for 2025 to 2029 that underpins our Strategic Partnership,” President Marcos said.

The two leaders are expected to discuss defense and maritime cooperation, trade and investment, the proposed Preferential Trade Agreement, health and pharmaceuticals, digital cooperation, tourism, direct air connectivity, and people-to-people ties.

In an interview with Radio Television Malacanang (RTVM), Philippine Ambassador to India Josel F. Ignacio said the Philippines and India have made “rapid progress” on several commitments reached during President Marcos’ August 2025 State Visit, when the two countries elevated their relations to a Strategic Partnership.

Among the developments were service-to-service talks involving branches of the two countries’ armed forces and increased official and business exchanges in areas such as financial technology, agriculture, and tourism.

Ignacio also cited the continued growth in bilateral trade, which he said is approaching the US$4-billion mark based on the latest available data.

Indian tourist arrivals in the Philippines are also nearing pre-pandemic levels, according to the Ambassador.

Ignacio said these developments show that President Marcos’ State Visit and meeting with Prime Minister Modi last year “revitalized” and “energized” relations between the Philippines and India.

“We hope that this will continue in the years to come,” Ignacio added.

President Marcos will also engage Indian companies during his stay in New Delhi to promote investment opportunities in the Philippines.

The President said Indian companies have opportunities to participate in the country’s growth in infrastructure, digitalization, information technology, pharmaceuticals, transport and logistics, and other sectors critical to Philippine development.