PUTRAJAYA, July 26 — The Joint Commission meeting between Malaysia and the Philippines, scheduled to be held here in October, is expected to witness several memorandum of understandings (MoUs) signed between both countries, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.
“We (Malaysia and the Philippines) have outstanding MoUs which both of us have agreed to accelerate the process and where we should find ways to resolve and then hopefully signed during the commission meeting,” he told a joint press conference with the President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos Jr here today.
During the discussion with President Marcos earlier, Anwar said both countries have discussed issues relating to bilateral issues of trade investments, where there has been a slight increase in investments and trade, but there’s a huge potential that should be explored by both parties.
“Both business communities (Malaysia and the Philippines) should interact more and jointly take measures to enhance bilateral relations, economic and trade, and at the same time help to resuscitate the economy post-COVID.
“We also mentioned the potential for the halal industry for both countries. We will certainly do our utmost in terms of the issue or certification. But I think jointly we should undertake some effective measures to ensure that the halal industry can penetrate more effectively into the Middle Eastern market in particular,” he said.
Meanwhile, Marcos said the joint commission meeting will be an avenue for both government agencies to discuss priority cooperation in detail, especially in the areas of transnational crimes, agriculture, halal industry, Islamic banking, education, tourism and culture, sports and the digital economy.
“We continue to work on the corresponding MoUs in dependence fields and we’ll have them signed in the near future. Building on our bilateral relations, our governments commit to closely coordinate efforts to build capacity in the Bangsamoro autonomous region in southern Philippines in Muslim Mindanao, especially on sectors such as the halal industry, Islamic banking and food security.
Marcos said Malaysia has also warmly offered their expertise to train Philippine personnel and officials to strengthen their capabilities in these increasingly important sectors.
“We also agreed to enhance our trade and investment ties with each other, with Malaysia being one of the leading halal economies in the world. Cooperation in this sector would mutually benefit the growth of our respective ecosystems,” he said.
