Marcos talks economic, security ties with Malaysian PM in phone call

Metro Manila, Philippines - President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim discussed economic and security ties between Manila and Kuala Lumpur in a phone call on Friday, May 2.

In a social media post, Marcos said he also discussed the upcoming Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit to be held on May 26 and 27 in Malaysia.

"Nagkausap kami ni Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim ng Malaysia tungkol sa mga hamon sa ekonomiya at seguridad na kinakaharap ng ASEAN bilang isang rehiyon," Marcos said.

"Inaasahan kong maipagpatuloy ang mga talakayang ito kasama ang iba pa nating mga kasamang lider sa Summit," he added.

[Translation: Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and I talked about the economic and security challenges facing ASEAN as a region……I look forward to continuing these discussions with our other fellow leaders at the Summit.]

Meanwhile, in his own social media post, the Malaysian leader shared that they also talked about “several matters and developments related to ASEAN and global issues” during their phone call.

Anwar said he told Marcos about Malaysia’s support for an extended ceasefire in Myanmar and that humanitarian aid reach the affected citizens.

"We were also in agreement that any form of assistance must be delivered without discrimination or restrictions," the prime minister wrote.

Both leaders also talked about the recently hiked tariffs imposed by the United States on several countries worldwide.

"As the ASEAN Chair, I conveyed that Malaysia can leverage its position to demonstrate its significance to the United States in global tariff negotiations," Anwar said.

The Malaysian leader said he wished for a successful midterm elections for the Philippines this month.