PBBM leaves for the US to attend APEC

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday said that he will bring with him the hopes and aspirations of Filipinos for a peaceful and prosperous Asia-Pacific region.

Marcos said this in his departure statement before flying for the United States to participate in the 30th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' Meeting in San Francisco, California, and conduct work visits to Los Angeles, California, and Honolulu, Hawaii.

In his speech, Marcos said he is honored to represent the Philippines in the region's most important trade, investment, and economic cooperation platform.

He also highlighted the importance of APEC to the Philippines, noting that the region hosts 38 percent of the world's population, 48 percent of its trade, and 62 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) growth.

"The largest segment of our OFWs calls this region their second home," President Marcos said, adding that 85 percent of the country's trade and top investors are from this region."

He also welcomed the U.S. chairmanship of APEC's cross-cutting themes of sustainability, inclusiveness, and resilience.

"The U.S. APEC 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 so that all Filipinos may have a strong, comfortable, and secure life," President Marcos said.

The President said that the Philippines' APEC work has been focused on prioritizing and securing beneficial trade and investment, quality and green jobs, and human development and poverty alleviation.

He also said that he will be engaging with the leaders of economies of the Asia-Pacific region to agree on how they can achieve food and energy security, economic inclusion, sustainable development, and address the climate change crisis.

On the sidelines of the APEC Summit, President Marcos is expected to meet with business leaders to invite investments and seek business opportunities, promote the country's exports, and discuss its economic agenda.

He has also been invited to deliver keynote remarks on "intentional equity in sustainability" at the APEC CEO Summit.

President Marcos will also meet with representatives from the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) to discuss using public-private partnerships to fulfill the agenda in innovative and sustainable development, finance, and economic and business reform.

The President said that his visit to the United States also marks his third visit to the country as part of his continuing efforts to reinforce further the already strong bond between the Philippines and the United States.

He said that he expects to witness the signing of several government-to-government, public-private, and business agreements covering 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.

The President also said that he will be going on working visits to Los Angeles, California, and Honolulu, Hawaii. He looks forward to meeting the Filipino communities in all three cities.

"California and Hawaii have the largest concentrations of Filipinos and Filipino-Americans, home to almost half of the 4.2 million Filipinos in the United States, who serve as the bedrock of our bilateral relations," President Marcos said.

He said that since the start of his administration, he has not wavered in his promise of "not leaving anyone behind" and a resilient Philippines where all equitably share the fruits of hard work.