Singapore’s Lawrence Wong to make first official visit to PH 

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The Singaporean Prime Minister will be in Manila from June 4 to 5 for his first official trip to the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines – Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will be in the Philippines from June 4 to 5 for his first official visit to the country, Malacañang announced Monday, June 2. 

In a statement, Malacañang said Wong’s trip is an “important introductory visit that reaffirms the strong and longstanding partnership between Singapore and the Philippines.” Wong is coming to Manila at the invitation of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. 

While in the Philippines, Wong will be speaking with Marcos in a bilateral meeting on June 4 in Malacañang. The two are “expected to discuss the strengthening of Philippines-Singapore relations and explore opportunities for deeper cooperation across various sectors” and “discuss key areas of cooperation such as health, climate change mitigation and civil service cooperation.” 

Wong is also Singapore’s Minister for Finance.

“President Marcos and Prime Minister Wong are also expected to exchange views on key political and economic developments in the region, reaffirming their shared commitment to regional stability and prosperity,” said the Palace. 

Wong’s visit is the first by a Singaporean prime minister to the Philippines since 2017. There are over 220,000 Filipinos in the city-state. Singapore was also the country’s eighth-largest trading partner in 2024, according to government data.

Singapore was among the first countries that Marcos made a state visit to in 2022, just months after assuming office. Back then, the Prime Minister of Singapore was Lee Hsien Loong. 

In August 2022, Marcos welcomed Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam during his first state visit to the Philippines. – Rappler.com