San Francisco, California
November 14, 2023

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. honored the contributions of the Filipino Community in the United States of America (USA) as he took the opportunity to meet his countrymen in San Francisco, California.

In his keynote address, the President recalled that his late father, former President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., first visited San Francisco in 1966 during the first year of his Presidential Administration. He shared that the former President considered the city not only as home to a significant Filipino population but as the historical, cultural, and economic link between the Philippines and the continental United States.

He underscored that there are more than 4 million Filipinos and Filipino-Americans in the U.S.A to date, of which 1.3 million reside in the jurisdiction of the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco. He noted that 436 years have passed since the first recorded arrival and presence of Filipinos — the ‘Luzones Indios’ or Luzon Natives — in the continental United States. Filipinos and Filipino-Americans can now be found in various sectors of the American economy, society and media, as well as in politics and government.

“I know that you all came to the United States for many different reasons, mostly economic. You sought greener pastures and better life for yourselves and for your families, but this did not stop you from giving back to your homeland, to the Philippines… Mula noon hanggang ngayon, pinatutunayan ninyo na kayo ang mga bagong bayani ng ating salinlahi. Kaya naman sa Bagong Pilipinas na ating itinataguyod, nais ng inyong pamahalaan na suklian ang inyong pagsusumikap upang bigyan ng mas magandang bukas ang ating mga anak,” he expressed.

The Chief Executive likewise detailed that as he and his delegation are set to participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit hosted by San Francisco, he will also conduct business meetings to seek mutually beneficial exchanges and partnerships. He emphasized that the Philippines’ presence in the APEC Summit in San Francisco this week also aligns with the development of the Philippine innovation system, which is anchored in the Administration’s National Innovation Agenda Framework.

“As we begin our mission here in San Francisco, I ask our Filipino Community in the Bay Area and the Pacific Northwest for your full support as your government works to build a resilient, sustainable, and inclusive future for our people back home,” he added.

“Let us remain united and firm toward our common goals so that, together, we will be able to leave behind a New Philippines that our children and grandchildren deserve,” President Marcos Jr. concluded in his message.

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