Marcos' 2023 trips actualized nearly P300 billion investments —DTI

The presidential and state visits of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. this year have yielded $5.28 billion or P294 billion worth of actualized investments, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said.

According to the Presidential Communications Office, DTI Board of Investments (BOI) Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo said Marcos’ foreign trips actualized $4.089 billion (P227.72 billion) investments for eight projects; $790.58 million (P44.02 billion) for 11 projects; and $398.17 million (P22.17 billion) for nine projects, as of December 21.

Rodolfo pointed out that the investment pledges to Marcos in his foreign trips that were actualized into projects have already been registered with investment promotion agencies like the BOI and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA).

“Some of these projects have short gestation periods and are already fully-operational and are already employing full-time Filipinos, producing goods or delivering services; and some are already setting up or expanding their facilities – but are nevertheless already employing Filipinos as they already have set-up or expanded their offices and physical presence in the Philippines,” the DTI official said.

DTI said Tuesday that the amount of consolidated and processed investments from Marcos’ foreign trips has reached P4.019 trillion or US$72.178 billion.

Marcos earlier said the public should look at the return on investments of his trips. —Giselle Ombay/KG, GMA Integrated News