Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 14) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. left for the United States on Tuesday evening to participate in the 30th Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting.
In his departure speech, Marcos said his participation in the APEC meeting in San Francisco, California is at the invitation of his American counterpart, Joe Biden. This marks his third visit to the US since he started office.
\”This year, the US chairmanship of APEC set the cross-cutting themes of sustainability, inclusiveness, and resilience as our priority work so that we can build a resilient and interconnected region that advances broad-based economic prosperity, enable an innovative environment to foster a sustainable future, and affirm an equitable and inclusive future for all, for every single Filipino,\” he said.
Marcos said his administration’s efforts at APEC have been concentrated on securing beneficial trade and investment, human development, high-quality jobs, and poverty alleviation.
\”This trip marks my third visit to the United States as part of our continuing efforts to further reinforce our already strong bond, and a follow through to my Official Working Visit in Washington, D.C. last May, where we underscored the need of forging closer economic ties and ensuring that our bilateral friendship and relationship work for both our peoples,\” he said.
The president is accompanied by his wife, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and some of his Cabinet secretaries.
Marcos further stated that he will meet with business leaders of the Asia-Pacific region to discuss food and energy security, and economic inclusion of the Philippines’ micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), women, and indigenous people, among other segments of the economy.
The chief executive is also expected to deliver the keynote remarks on “intentional equity in sustainability” at the APEC CEO Summit, which he deemed is the annual gathering of top CEOs from across the APEC region
Marcos said he is looking forward to the signing of government-to-government, public-private, and business agreements, which have been under negotiation over the past several months.
These pacts, according to him, cover priority sectors, such as nuclear energy; artificial intelligence to support weather forecasting; health sciences, particularly cancer research, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention; pharmaceutical manufacturing; and satellite connectivity.
Aside from San Francisco, the president is also set to travel to Los Angeles, California as well as Honolulu, Hawaii, where he will visit the US Indo-Pacific Command headquarters.
While Marcos did not give specifics on his Hawaiian side trip, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Charles Jose earlier said he expects discussions on security issues.
Marcos will also meet with Filipino communities in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Honolulu.
