Marcos leaves for APEC in San Francisco

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. left Manila on Tuesday night to attend the 30th Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Summit in the United States, saying he will pursue the Philippines' agenda on food and energy security, inclusion of small businesses and digitalization.

In his departure speech at the Villamor Airbase in Pasay City, Marcos said this year's summit theme of 'Creating a Sustainable and Resilient Future for All' "aligns with our national and economic interest to transform the Philippines toward a sustainable future para ang lahat ng Pilipino ay magkaroon ng matatag, maginhawa, at panatag na buhay." 

"We will be engaging with the leaders of economies of the Asia-Pacific region to agree on how we can achieve food and energy security, economic inclusion of our micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), women, indigenous people, and other segments whose economic potential remains to be unlocked through digitalization and innovation, and sustainable development and addressing the climate change crisis," said Marcos, who left with a contingent of government officials, lawmakers and business executives.

Marcos said the trip, his third in the US since becoming president, was at the invitation of President Joe Biden, who chairs this year's summit known as a vital platform for trade, investment and economic cooperation.

At the APEC CEO Summit, an annual gathering of top CEOs from across the APEC region, Marcos said he will deliver the keynote remarks on “intentional equity in sustainability” to share the Philippine experience in ensuring inclusivity on our path to greening the economy.

He will meet with business leaders and conduct roundtable discussions on the summit's sidelines to invite investments and seek business opportunities, promote Philippine exports, and discuss his administration's economic agenda.

"Our APEC work has been focused to prioritize and secure beneficial trade and investment, quality and green jobs, and human development and poverty alleviation," he said.

There will also be several engagements with private sector representatives from the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) to discuss how the Philippines can use public-private partnership for the country's agenda in innovative and sustainable development, finance, and economic and business reform.

Marcos said he also expects to witness the signing of a number of government-to-government, public-private, and business agreements, "which have been under negotiation over the past several months."

The deals will cover priority sectors, such as nuclear energy; artificial intelligence to support weather forecasting; health sciences, particularly cancer research, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention; pharmaceutical manufacturing; and satellite connectivity."

From San Francisco, Marcos will fly to Los Angeles and to Honolulu, Hawaii.  He said he will meet with Filipino communities in the areas.

California and Hawaii have the largest concentrations of Filipinos and Filipino-Americans, home to almost half of the 4.2 million Filipinos in the US.

"I bring with me your hopes and aspirations for a peaceful and prosperous Asia-Pacific region where we live.  This year, the U.S. chairmanship of APEC set the cross-cutting themes of sustainability, inclusiveness, and resilience as our priority work so that we can build a resilient and interconnected region that advances broad-based economic prosperity, enable an innovative environment to foster a sustainable future, and affirm an equitable and inclusive future for all.  For every single Filipino," he said.

The APEC region hosts 38% of the world’s population, 48% of its trade, and 62% of its gross domestic product.—LDF, GMA Integrated News