Duterte pushed for ‘inclusive globalization’ at APEC Summit, says DTI’s Lopez

President Rodrigo Duterte pushed for "inclusive globalization" as one way to empower smaller member-nations during the APEC Summit leader's meeting on Sunday, Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez said.

In a press conference in Papua New Guinea, Lopez said the President attended international cooperation meetings to propose the concept to his fellow APEC leaders.

"Ang purpose ng ating Pangulo in attending international cooperation and international organization meetings is really to push for the inclusive globalization that he is passionate about," he said.

Under this concept of globalization, Lopez said, Duterte wants bigger nations to empower and help smaller nations to enable them to increase their capacities.

"As the smaller nations are empowered, that would generate the capability to manufacture, the capability to provide services for the bigger countries to have a much more open market access," he said.

"It's like a big brother principle wherein the bigger countries would be in a way helping empower the smaller countries," he added.

At the same time, APEC leaders also talked about the digitalization of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), Lopez said.

"Sabi [ng Pangulo doon], we have to empower them, we have to also make sure that they are given the proper training, human resource development as they prepare for the digitalization of businesses," the Cabinet official reported.

According to Lopez, the President pointed out that not all MSMEs are empowered to operate digital operations, especially when it comes to entering into e-commerce or even accessing Internet.

"Sinabi niya talaga, very imported to provide a lot of training, retraining, education for the [MSMEs]," Lopez said.

Duterte stayed at Papua New Guinea for the APEC Summit on Sunday despite his scheduled flight back to the Philippines on Saturday night to attend to "urgent domestic developments."

The President is expected to finish all APEC Summit-related events on Sunday before returning to the Philippines. — Erwin Colcol/BM, GMA News