President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. concluded a highly productive week marked by a successful five-day state visit to India that yielded significant milestones in strengthening the Philippines’ partnership and $5.8 billion potential investments.

Marcos’ state visit to India yielded actual direct investments worth $446 million and potential investments reaching up to $5.8 billion in key sectors, including digital infrastructure, renewable energy, healthcare, manufacturing, and IT-BPM.

The President stressed that the key agreements are expected to generate over 4,000 direct jobs and provide digital training to more than 26,000 Filipinos by 2026, fueling a major boost to the nation’s economic growth.

On August 5, Marcos and First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos received a grand ceremonial welcome from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan, followed by a solemn tribute at Raj Ghat to honor Mahatma Gandhi’s enduring legacy.

The historic day continued with a high-level meeting at Hyderabad House, where Marcos and Modi sealed the elevation of Philippine-India relations to a strategic partnership that paves the way for deeper cooperation in emerging and critical sectors, including digital technology, renewable energy, healthcare, defense, trade, and space exploration.

Marcos and Modi witnessed the siging of 13 landmark agreements spanning defense and maritime cooperation, legal assistance, science and technology, tourism, digital innovation, space research, and cultural exchange.

The President lauded India’s lifting of its export ban on non-basmati rice, underscoring its vital role in bolstering Philippine food security, while affirming shared values and strategic priorities in the Indo-Pacific.

Modi, in turn, announced free e-visas for Filipino tourists ? a reciprocal gesture to Manila’s visa-free policy for Indian nationals ? signaling a new era of strengthened bilateral engagement.

Marcos announced the resumption of direct flights between the Philippines and India starting October, a key move to boost tourism mark 75 years of diplomatic relations. Presidential News Desk