On the second day of his State Visit to India, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. was accorded full ceremonial honors on Tuesday at the Rashtrapati Bhavan by Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The military parade and formal reception were held in the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan?an honor reserved for visiting heads of state.

Rashtrapati Bhavan, also known as the President’s House, is the official residence of the President of India, located on Raisina Hill in New Delhi.

Facing members of the media from the Philippines and India, President Marcos described the growing partnership between the Philippines and India as part of a broader and evolving regional realignment.

“I think it is a reaffirmation of the partnership that we are strengthening,” President Marcos said. “Where we used to refer to the Asia-Pacific region, we now refer to the Indo-Pacific region, which is, I think, a correct evolution of that understanding because of the global nature of all the politics and of all the trade and all of the economy.”

President Marcos emphasized the importance of building on longstanding ties while exploring new areas of cooperation.

“Certainly, we are here to build upon what we already have, but also to explore the many opportunities that have arisen in the past two years because of the new technologies and the changing state of the global economy and the geopolitics around us,” the President added.

President Marcos’ visit aims to deepen cooperation with India in defense, digital infrastructure, health, and labor, among other sectors, as well as promote regional peace and economic resilience in the Indo-Pacific. | PND