Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 15) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrived in San Francisco, California to attend the 30th Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting.
The chief executive’s plane landed at 9:06 a.m, Wednesday, Manila time, and he was met by the city’s officials.
In a speech delivered at a meeting with the Filipino community, he said San Francisco is important to the Philippines as it is the historical, cultural and economic link of the Philippines to the continental US.In the meeting, the President introduced his delegation, among them the country’s business managers and tourism, trade, energy, and transportation officials.He laid down part of his team’s itinerary, including meetings his team would hold on the sidelines of the APEC meetings, where they would seek mutually beneficial exchanges and partnerships.
Marcos said energy, especially clean energy, is also a priority of his administration.
“By the end of this four-day visit to San Francisco, we hope to have witnessed the signing of agreements with various American businesses in the fields of digital infrastructure and connectivity, renewable energy, electronics manufacturing, health, and tourism,” he said.
The chief executive lauded Filipinos in the US, saying the country could always count on them even in times of crisis.
“Kayo ang bumubuhay sa ekonomiya ng Pilipinas kapag tayo’y naghihirap, kaya naman napakahalaga ng inyong katungkulan hindi lamang sa inyong mga pamilya kundi na rin pati sa inyong mga kababayan at sa inyong bansa,” he said.
[Translation: During difficult times, you help keep the Philippine economy afloat, your duty to your families and the country as well as its people is invaluable.]
He also thanked them for their great turnout during the 2022 elections.
“You delivered the Marcos-Duterte tandem while setting the highest voter turnout in absolute numbers in the entire Americas region,” he said.
In his departure speech, Marcos said his participation at the summit was at the invitation of US President Joe Biden.
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.Among the president’s activities at the summit will be meetings with business leaders on food and energy security, and economic inclusion of the Philippines’ micro, small, and medium enterprises, women, and indigenous people, among other segments of the economy.
