President’s Hall, Malacañan Palace
July 10, 2023

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. received the Business Executives for National Security (BENS) in a meeting at the President’s Hall in Malacañan Palace.

Founded in 1982 in the United States of America (USA), BENS is a network of business leaders united in the belief that private sector expertise and best practices can help the U.S. Department of Defense and other national security agencies in the performance of their duties in keeping the nation secure. It operates as a nonpartisan and non-profit organization. (https://bens.org)

The BENS members come from diverse backgrounds and expertise including healthcare, security and manufacturing, among others. Mr. Steven Darnell (Chair, BENS Governance Committee/President and Chief Executive Officer [CEO], SPG International, LLC) expressed that they called for a pre-dialogue with President Marcos Jr. to discuss how they can provide service to the Philippines and seek support in further developing the BENS’ partnership with the country.

The President conveyed his gratitude to the BENS for sharing their expertise. Noting the progressing geopolitical situation and its effects in the Philippine economy, he underscored the significance of consultations such as this wherein the country can learn the best practices as it moves towards post-pandemic.

In the first year of his Administration, the Chief Executive cited a few of the structural changes recognized and implemented in the country as guided by the eight-point socioeconomic agenda. He emphasized that among the best measures to undertake is to promote public-private partnership (PPP) and government-to-government engagements to bring investments in the country in order to transform the economy in the long-term.

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