Marcos to skip United Nations General Assembly 'to focus on local issues'

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. will no longer attend the United Nations General Assembly later this month.

This was confirmed by Presidential Communications Office Acting Secretary Dave Gomez. 

Asked for the reason, Gomez said the President intends to focus on domestic matters. 

''The President has delegated his engagements at the UNGA to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs to allow him to focus on local issues,'' Gomez told reporters. 

The confirmation came amid the controversy over undelivered and substandard flood control projects after Marcos, more than a month ago, exposed how 15 contractors cornered 20% of the more P500 billion worth of flood control deals. 

Marcos has since created an Independent Commission on Infrastructure ahead of protests against graft planned on Sept. 21.

The Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel "Babe" Romualdez said Marcos was planning to attend the UNGA in September.

He said the President's attendance was  important for the country’s bid of a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) “since he will have the chance to engage with many world leaders.”

Each high-level gathering to mark the start of the annual General Assembly has a theme, which leaders tend to briefly reference before talking about whatever they want.

In 2023 and 2024, Marcos skipped the UNGA and was instead represented by former Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo.

In 2022, Marcos attended the UNGA, during which he discussed the peace and stability in Asia, which, according to him, was under threat due to ideological tensions. –NB/RF, GMA Integrated News