Villamor Air Base, Pasay City
November 20, 2023
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. concluded his successful participation to the 30th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting (AELM) in San Francisco, California, followed by his working visits in Los Angeles, California and Honolulu Hawaii.
“Our discussions were very productive, with innovation, resilience, sustainability, and inclusiveness as cross-cutting themes, buttressed by our resounding commitment to further strengthening cooperation to address common challenges to both economic and national security,” the President underscored in his arrival statement at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.
In his statement, President Marcos Jr. conveyed that his discussions with fellow economic leaders reinforced the Administration’s priorities in clean, renewable, accessible and affordable energy; food security; health systems and protection for health workers; digitalization and digital transformation and the digital inclusion of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs); and decisive climate action through regional cooperation.
He likewise met with a number of business leaders in the United States of America (USA) and discussed the Philippines’ vision of technological inclusivity and shared growth.
“Altogether, we return to the Philippines with over USD 670 million in investment pledges that have the potential to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs for Filipinos within our country, ” said the Chief Executive.
“We look forward to seeing more partnerships materialize in the months ahead especially with the visit of the high-level U.S. Presidential Trade and Investment Mission in March next year and our co-hosting of the 2024 Indo-Pacific Business Forum,” he added.
During his visit, he engaged with the Filipino communities in San Francisco and Los Angeles, California, as well as in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he expressed gratitude for their immense contributions to both the Philippines and the U.S., and their notable achievements in the society they are living in. “The good words said of Filipinos around the world makes me proud to be Pinoy. I encouraged them to unite and work with us towards building a stronger and more resilient Philippines; tungo sa isang Bagong Pilipinas,” the President stated.
Furthermore, President Marcos Jr. recalled his speaking engagement at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies (DKI APCSS) where he shared his reflections on the most crucial challenges to the common aspirations of a peaceful and prosperous future for the Philippines and the region—securing the peace in the West Philippine Sea and securing strategic sectors and critical infrastructures, including cyber.
“Despite the evolving and complex challenges, my message was one of optimism—that together with the U.S., our oldest and only treaty ally, and our growing network of other partners, we will be able to bring peace, stability and prosperity to the Indo-Pacific Region, as long as our partnerships are based on mutual trust and respect for each other as sovereign equals and our actions are anchored on international law, including UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral Award,” the President ended in his message.
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