Metro Manila, Philippines— President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is skipping the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit on Nov. 10-16 in Peru, The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said on Thursday, Nov. 7.
It said Marcos has appointed Trade Secretary Ma. Cristina Aldeguer-Roque as special envoy to the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week.
“The designation of Sec. Roque confirms that the president is not attending (the APEC),” said PCO Secretary Cesar Chavez.
He said Marcos wants to prioritize domestic concerns including the response to calamities.
The summit will be composed of the economic leaders’ meeting; nine ministerial meetings, meeting of ministers of foreign affairs and trade, five meetings of senior officials, as well as the meetings of the business advisory council and the consortium of study centers of APEC.
In its website, APEC said it aims to foster quality economic growth among its members “through economic and technical cooperation, human security, trade, investment, the digital economy, economic inclusion, and support for initiatives to improve sectoral public policies.”
