President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. kicked off his five-day state visit to India by meeting with members of the Filipino community in New Delhi on Monday, August 4, 2025.
Accompanied by First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and several Cabinet officials, Marcos personally greeted overseas Filipinos at a gathering that underscored the deepening ties between the Philippines and India—an engagement that also marked the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations.
The meeting served as the President’s first official public appearance during his visit. Warmly welcomed by Filipinos based in India, Marcos took the opportunity to reaffirm his administration’s commitment to the welfare of overseas Filipinos and to strengthening Philippine-India relations in key areas such as defense, trade, and technology.
His visit is expected to include bilateral talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a series of high-level meetings in New Delhi and Bangalore. Central to the discussions are expanded defense cooperation—particularly the potential acquisition of additional BrahMos missile systems—and boosting trade, which has already surpassed US$3 billion in annual value.
The trip also coincides with the first-ever joint naval exercise between the Philippine Navy and the Indian Navy in the South China Sea, a symbolic move amid ongoing maritime tensions in the region.
