SAN FRANCISCO, California — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. lauded Filipino-Americans for their vital contribution to the Philippine economy, and "injected" an impressive $14.89 billion through cash remittances in 2022.

In a meeting with more or less 1,000 members of the Filipino community on Tuesday (US time), Marcos said the figure makes the United States the largest source of remittances for the Philippines.

Marcos recognized the hard work of Filipinos in the US, thanking them for projecting a "positive image of the Philippines and of the Filipino people."

"I know that you all came to the United States for many different reasons, mostly economic. You sought greener pastures and a better life for yourselves and your families, but this did not stop you from giving back to your homeland, to the Philippines," the President said.

He added: "I cannot help but feel proud of your achievements. Be grateful for all that you do that creates a positive image of the Philippines and the Filipino people in America."

There are now more than four million Filipinos and Filipino-Americans in the US, of which 1.3 million fall under the jurisdiction of the consul general of San Francisco. Of that figure, around 700,000 live and work in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Marcos said Filipinos abroad, including overseas Filipino workers, have an outstanding reputation because of their good traits.

He hailed the Filipino nurses, doctors, first responders, and essential workers in the US who have demonstrated the "timeless Filipino virtues of compassion, companionship, and teamwork," especially at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"(During the pandemic) Americans experienced first-hand the Filipino way of caring and acting on the needs of others. One in every five nurses here on the West Coast was trained in the Philippines," he said.

He also commended the rising number of Filipino-Americans in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley who are now active partners in Philippine development and nation-building.

Marcos assured the Filipino community that his administration is making every effort to improve life for Filipinos back home.

The government, he said, will work harder to improve the Philippine economy and adapt it to the "new global post-pandemic economy."

He said his administration digitizes public services to facilitate transactions with government agencies.

"From then until now, you have been proving that you are the new heroes of our generation. That's why in the Bagong Pilipinas (New Philippines) that we are advocating, your government wants to reward your efforts to give our children a better future," Marcos said.

The President is here for the 30th Leaders Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.

After the APEC conference, he will also meet with the Filipino communities in Honolulu, Hawaii, and Los Angeles, California.

Aside from witnessing the signing of numerous agreements on priority areas like digital infrastructure and connectivity, renewable energy, electronics manufacturing, health, and tourism, Marcos is expected to host roundtable discussions with leading US business executives.