Marcos leaves for Thailand to attend APEC Summit

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Wednesday left for Bangkok to participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation 2022 (APEC) Leaders' Summit on November 18-19. 
 
Marcos is expected to have at least six bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit, which will be attended by leaders and representatives from 21 member economies, including the Philippines. 
 
He expressed hope that his participation in the APEC Summit and other meetings would "put some meat" on what he had discussed with other leaders during the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and Related Summits in Cambodia last week.
 
"I hope to build upon the discussions that we had during the ASEAN Summit. There are many, as I mentioned when I first arrived from Cambodia, from Phnom Penh, it is very clear that there are many areas of consensus between our countries in the Asia-Pacific, Indo-Pacific region, and that is what I hope to build on," Marcos said in his departure speech.
 
"We have established that those are the common concerns of all the leaders, of all the countries around the region, and I am hoping now to put some meat on those very preliminary discussions that we have had. I believe that that is also what other leaders are intending to do, and I hope to report good progress when I come back from Bangkok," he added. 
 
Marcos said he brings with him the dream of a “peaceful and prosperous” Asia-Pacific region. 

The President and First Lady Louise "Liza" Araneta-Marcos will meet with King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua and Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalakshana, who granted the leaders and their spouses a royal audience.
 
A meeting with Thai businessmen was also scheduled, according to Marcos, to seek opportunities that could help promote the Philippines.

"And I am participating in panel discussions on 'The Global Economy and the Future of APEC,' among select APEC Leaders invited to speak at the annual gathering of top CEOs from across the region," Marcos said.
 
The President will also meet with the Filipino community in Thailand.
 
This year's APEC Summit aims to focus on restoring connectivity by resuming safe and seamless cross-border travel, reinvigorating tourism and the services sector, facilitating business mobility, and increasing investment in health security.
 
Marcos said APEC remains one of the prime platforms to engage economies in the region. 
 
According to Office of the Press Secretary officer-in-charge Undersecretary Cheloy Garafil, the APEC Summit is an opportunity for the Philippines to push for its economic agenda and priorities. 
 
These include the empowerment of local MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises) and their inclusion in global value chains, the recognition of the essential role of maritime crews and seafarers in ensuring stable and resilient supply chains, ensuring food and energy security, and climate change mitigation and adaptation. 
 
Established in 1989, APEC has as its core value the promotion of regional economic integration in a non-legally binding and friendly environment.
 
The Philippines last hosted the APEC Summit in 2015. — VBL, GMA Integrated News