New Delhi: Ambassador of the Philippines to India, Josel F Ignacio on Wednesday hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, saying that India is far different from what it was several decades ago and now heading to becoming a ‘Viksit Bharat’.
In an interview with IANS, Ignacio appreciated PM Modi’s efforts in strengthening ties between both countries and stated that India-Philippines relations are at an “all-time high” with room to elevate them further.
“Prime Minister Modi, I think, is very much admired around the world and that’s certainly shared by the Philippines. We are happy that our leaders Prime Minister Modi Ji and President Marcos met in August last year here in Delhi and built good friendship and rapport. But, beyond that also, we saw a meeting of the minds when it comes to global priorities, advancing economic prosperity, rule of law, connectivity, energy security, food security, digital public infrastructure, all these priorities,” said Ambassador Ignacio.
“I think as a leader, Prime Minister Modi has done much for India and India now is far different from the India of several decades ago. We see how India is well on its way to Viksit Bharat, and, of course, the Philippines supports India in that respect. I think that when it comes to developmental aspirations, both countries have much room to work together in order to meet our respective desires and hopes and aspirations for our respective people. So, we’re glad that the Philippines and India under our current leaders are cultivating such a good relationship and we give credit to Prime Minister Modi for helping bring our relations to such heights,” he added.
The diplomat highlighted the growing trade ties between both countries and stated that both nations crossed the USD 3 billion mark while fast approaching to USD 4 billion.
“I would say that Philippines–India relations are at an all-time high and there is always room to elevate them even further. We are very satisfied that over the past few years, our relationship has expanded and intensified significantly. We are now strategic partners and under this we are cultivating broad-based cooperation from defence to even military cooperation,” Ignacio told IANS.
“In the economy, we are boosting our trade. In 2023, we crossed the US$3 billion mark, and we are now approaching USD 4 billion…We have direct flights between our countries after more than a decade. Tourism is increasing significantly in both directions, aided by our more relaxed visa policy. For the Philippines, we relaxed visa access to Indians. Indians are visa-free for 14 days for tourism or short-term business. So, all these things, I think, sum up to a very good relationship, that is the basis for further growth,” he added.
Ignacio also spoke about External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar’s ongoing visit to Manila where he participated in the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with India 2026, Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and also held a series of bilateral meetings with his counterparts from several nations.
“This brings me to the presence of Excellency Minister Dr. S Jaishankar, in Manila right at this very moment as we speak. This visit by EAM, we value very much. In fact, EAM has visited the Philippines every two years in 2022, 2024, and now in 2026. We appreciate this regularity and this allows for closer discussions on issues of mutual interest to us. He just met our Foreign Secretary, Her Excellency Secretary Lazaro. Also, I am happy to note that just a couple of hours ago, Manila, was also the setting not just for the ASEAN–India Post-Ministerial Conference but also for another meeting of the Quad Foreign Ministers. So, all these positive developments, we are really satisfied with,” he said.
(IANS)
