Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong congratulated President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the Philippines following the country’s transition to upper-middle-income country status, saying the milestone reflected the country’s economic progress amid global challenges.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Wong conveyed his message during his meeting with Marcos in Singapore, where the President conducted a working visit from July 14 to 16.
“Sa kanilang meeting, nagpaabot ng pagbati si Prime Minister Wong kay Pangulong Marcos Jr. sa pag-angat ng Pilipinas bilang upper-middle-income country (During their meeting, Prime Minister Wong congratulated President Marcos Jr. on the Philippines’ rise to upper-middle-income country status),” Castro said during a Palace briefing Thursday.
“Ayon sa Prime Minister, maituturing na respectable growth o matatag na pag-unlad ng Pilipinas ang pagiging upper-middle-income country sa likod ng mga pagsubok dulot ng kaguluhan sa Middle East (According to the Prime Minister, the Philippines’ attainment of upper-middle-income status—achieved despite the challenges posed by the unrest in the Middle East—reflects respectable growth or solid progress),” she added.
The World Bank’s latest income assessment showed that the Philippines achieved upper-middle-income country (UMIC) status after recording a gross national income (GNI) per capita of US$4,850, exceeding the US$4,636 threshold.
Meanwhile, Wong also congratulated Filipino tennis star Alex Eala for her historic campaign at the 2026 Wimbledon Championships.
Eala made history after defeating defending champion Iga Swiatek of Poland in the third round before bowing out in the fourth round following her loss to Italian player Jasmine Paolini.
“Tiwala ang Prime Minister na si Alex Eala ang magiging kauna-unahang Southeast Asian na mag-uuwi ng grand slam title sa Wimbledon – bagay na sinang-ayunan ni Pangulong Marcos Jr. (The Prime Minister is confident that Alex Eala will be the first Southeast Asian to bring home a Grand Slam title from Wimbledon—a sentiment shared by President Marcos Jr),” Castro said.
She added that both leaders expressed admiration for Eala’s achievements and recognized the honor she brought to Southeast Asia.
During his Singapore visit, Marcos held bilateral talks with Wong focused on expanding cooperation in trade, investment, artificial intelligence, health, and social development.
The two leaders also discussed pursuing new bilateral agreements aimed at strengthening the long-standing partnership between Manila and Singapore, as well as advancing cooperation in key sectors ahead of Singapore’s chairship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2027.
Marcos also met with regional business leaders during a roundtable discussion hosted by the Milken Institute at the Philippine Embassy, where he highlighted the resilience of the Philippine economy and its openness to investment amid global trade and geopolitical challenges.
The President also held separate meetings with executives from Temasek Trust and ABC Impact, which reaffirmed their support for Ayala Corporation’s efforts to expand an integrated healthcare ecosystem providing quality and affordable healthcare services to Filipinos.
He also met with executives of the Singtel Group to discuss its planned expansion of investments in telecommunications, digital services, and data centers in partnership with Globe Telecom.
Marcos was expected to return to Manila on Thursday evening.