KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 — Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah congratulated Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr on his appointment as the 17th President of the Philippines.

According to the posting on Istana Negara’s official Facebook page, His Majesty also expressed hope that Malaysia and the Philippines will continue to work closely together to bring development and prosperity that will mutually benefit the two countries and the people.

"Malaysia and the Philippines have established close ties and brotherhood since 1959 and as inseparable neighbours, the two countries also share similar history and cultures,” it said.

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 in 2021, an increase of 24.6 per cent over the value recorded in 2020. — Bernama