Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 26) — Malaysia has committed to help the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in improving its halal industry and Islamic banking, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Wednesday after meeting the neighboring country’s king and prime minister.
In a joint press conference with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Marcos said Malaysia has offered to train Philippine personnel and officials on these “increasingly important sectors,” as well as on food security.
Anwar, in particular, said they aim to ensure that the Halal industry “can penetrate more effectively into the Middle Eastern market.”
The two countries also resolved to enhance their trade and investment ties as they work towards a post-pandemic recovery.
“With Malaysia being one of the leading halal economies in the world, cooperation in this sector would mutually benefit the growth of our respective halal ecosystems,” Marcos said.
The president added that he and Anwar have agreed to convene the next Philippines-Malaysia Joint Commission Meeting “sometime in October” to further discuss bilateral cooperation.
Besides sectors earlier mentioned, Marcos said priority areas include transnational crimes, agriculture, education, tourism, culture, sports, and the digital economy.
The two leaders also said they talked about matters outside bilateral relations, among which was the Myanmar crisis.
“We did touch upon Myanmar to strengthen the five-point consensus of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) but also give some flexibility, room and space for neighboring countries to engage on informal basis without sacrificing the issues of human rights and the treatment of minorities, in particular Rohingyans and other Burmese middle minorities in Myanmar,” Anwar said.
During the joint briefing, there was no mention of the long-standing Sabah dispute between the Philippines and Malaysia. In March, Marcos said the two countries agreed that their respective foreign affairs chiefs would meet over the matter.
It was also not clear if they discussed the 56 Filipinos on death row in Malaysia over the crimes of murder, drug trafficking, and involvement in a 2013 siege.
Before his meeting with the prime minister, Marcos had an audience with Malaysia’s King Al-Sultan Abdullah and Queen Azizah.
Marcos pushed for “mutually beneficial initiatives,” especially as the region regains its footing following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We will play a very large part in that transformation. And that transformation is going to strengthen and (be) made more stable by this partnership that we make with each other,” he said after meeting with the king.
Marcos was accorded a State Welcome Ceremony, including a 21-gun salute, upon his arrival at Malaysia’s National Palace Istana Negara.
