SINGAPORE has named an orchid species after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and his wife First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos.The new orchid variety was named Dendrobium Ferdinand Louise Marcos, which according to Singapore signifies the strong diplomatic relations between the Philippines and their country.It is part of Singapore’s tradition to name orchid varieties after Filipino leaders and VIPs, among them were former first lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos, the President’s mother, the late Philippine president Corazon Aquino and former president Rodrigo Duterte.Marcos, accompanied by his wife, was in Singapore for a state visit. They toured around the Singapore Botanic Garden.The Dendrobium Ferdinand Louise Marcos “is a robust and free-flowering orchid hybrid” which produces semi-arching inflorescences of 50 to 70 centimeters (cm) in length that bear 20 to 30 well-arranged flowers, with each flower measuring approximately 4 cm in width.Singapore said it will continue to grow and propagate the variety.Marcos’ visit to Singapore aims to “fully maximize” the country’s trade and economic cooperation with Singapore during his state visit to attract investments, create more jobs, and speed up post-pandemic economic growth.Marcos will fly back to Manila on Wednesday evening, September 7. (SunStar Philippines)