KUALA LUMPUR, June 30 —Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob congratulated Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr who was sworn in as the 17th President of the Philippines today.

"I hope the relationship between Malaysia and the Philippines will continue to be strong for mutual success,” he said in a post on Facebook attached with a poster of Marcos Jr and a congratulatory message.

Marcos Jr, 64, took his oath of office as the 17th president of the republic at the National Museum in Manila after winning the May 9 presidential election by a landslide.

The son of former president Ferdinand Marcos replaces Rodrigo Duterte.

The Philippines is Malaysia's 15th largest trading partner, with a trade volume of RM32.53 billion (US$ 7.84 billion) in 2021, an increase of 24.6 per cent over the value recorded in 2020. — Bernama