(Eagle News)–President Bongbong Marcos has arrived in the US, where he is set to attend the 30th Asia-Pacific Economic Leaders’ Summit and other events.
The President arrived at 5:06 p.m. (9:06 a.m. Manila time) at the San Francisco International Airport.
He was accompanied by First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos.
In his message before leaving for San Francisco, President Marcos said that his third visit to the US was upon the invitation of President Joe Biden.
“This trip marks my third visit to the United States as part of our continuing efforts to further reinforce our already strong bond, and a follow through to my Official Working Visit in Washington, D.C. last May, where we underscored the need of forging closer economic ties and ensuring that our bilateral friendship and relationship works for both our peoples,” the President said.
He added that this year’s APEC theme “Creating A Sustainable and Resilient Future for All” aligns with the Philippines’ national and economic interest in uplifting the lives of Filipinos.
In particular, he said this year, the US as APEC chair “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.”
The President said he will also be engaging with the economic leaders of the Asia-Pacific region to agree on how the Philippines can achieve food and energy security, economic inclusion of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), women, indigenous people and other sectors.
According to the Presidential Communications Office, the President will also meet with business leaders and conduct roundtable discussions on the APEC sidelines to invite investments, promote Philippine exports and discuss the country’s economic agenda.
It said he was also invited by the APEC CEO Summit to deliver keynote remarks on “intentional equity in sustainability” and share the Philippine experience in ensuring inclusivity on the path towards a greener economy.
“Aside from this, the President will also be meeting with private sector representatives from the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) to discuss how the Philippines can use public-private partnership in fulfilling innovative and sustainable development agenda, finance, and economic and business reform,” the PCO said.
The President’s visit to the US will conclude with his visit to the Filipino community in Los Angeles, California and Honolulu, Hawaii.
The PCO said these are where the largest concentrations of Filipinos and Filipino-Americans are found and are “home to almost half of the 4.2 million Filipinos” in the US, according to the PCO.
