MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said his recent visit to India produced new investment commitments and expanded cooperation in infrastructure, digital payments, disaster resilience, healthcare and other key sectors.

Marcos returned to the Philippines early Monday after attending the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, where he represented the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as ASEAN chair.

Apart from the summit, the President met with Indian government officials and business leaders to discuss possible investments and partnerships involving the Philippines.

Among the commitments announced was a USD75-million investment from iSON Group covering modern agriculture and renewable energy, healthcare and round-the-clock teleconsultation services. The projects are expected to generate around 2,000 jobs.

The company also pledged an additional USD10 million for the expansion of business process outsourcing operations and global delivery centers in the Philippines.

Marcos also met executives of GMR Group and representatives of Cavitex Holdings Inc. to discuss the development of the Sangley Point International Airport project in Cavite.

On digital payments, the President advanced talks with NPCI International Limited and LandBank of the Philippines on exploring an India-style Unified Payments Interface system.

The proposed cooperation could support faster government payments, improved QR payment interoperability and more efficient cross-border transactions.

The Philippines is also set to join the Coalition for Disaster Resilience following Marcos’ engagement with the organization during the trip.

Marcos said the visit also strengthened diplomatic ties through direct discussions with leaders from different regions, including countries in Africa and Latin America.

He said personal engagement among leaders remains an important part of diplomacy because it allows governments to better understand each other’s concerns and communicate more directly when issues arise.

Marcos attended the BRICS Summit as ASEAN chair and as a representative of one of the summit’s Outreach Countries.

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