Marcos appoints career diplomat as foreign minister

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos appointed career diplomat Enrique Manalo as foreign affairs secretary, the president's press secretary said. Before the appointment, Manalo served as the Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York. Prior to that, he was under-secretary for policy at the Department of Foreign Affairs. Manalo has asked for a few days before he takes over the position previously held by Teodoro Locsin so he could wind up affairs in his previous post, press secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said in a text message.

Marcos, who was sworn in as president on Thursday, has said his administration would have an independent foreign policy and recognised that international partnerships were key to a stable region. - Reuters