MANILA (The Thursday Times) — Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva became the first sitting Brazilian president to visit the Philippines on Saturday, signing two agreements with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on agriculture and competition law as the countries mark 80 years of diplomatic relations.
Marcos welcomed Lula with arrival honours at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City, where the two leaders held one-on-one talks and a wider bilateral meeting. Marcos congratulated Lula on what he called his “famous reelection” as Brazil’s president.
The Philippine Department of Agriculture and Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock signed a memorandum of understanding on sustainable and climate-resilient farming, research and innovation, agribusiness training, and agricultural supply chains. A second agreement commits the Philippine Competition Commission and Brazil’s competition authority, the Administrative Council for Economic Defense, to cooperate in enforcing their competition laws.
The two leaders also discussed expanding trade and investment, energy, science and technology, and defence cooperation, according to the Philippine presidential communications office.
Eyes on ASEAN
Lula is in Manila as a guest of the Philippines, which chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations this year, for the bloc’s summit meetings. Brazil formally asked in January to be upgraded from a sectoral dialogue partner of ASEAN to a full dialogue partner, the bloc’s highest level of engagement, which would put it alongside countries such as the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Canada.
“I am here to carry out important engagements, strengthen relations between our countries, and expand investment opportunities,” Lula said on his arrival on Friday. He is also due to attend a Brazil–Philippines business forum.
Before the talks, Lula visited Manila Cathedral, where he prayed and later described the visit as a “very emotional moment”.
