New Jersey Performing Arts Center, New Jersey
September 18, 2022

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. personally expressed gratitude to his ‘kababayans’ in the United States of America (USA) for their hard work and sacrifices as he held a Filipino community gathering at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in New Jersey.

In his keynote address, the President gave special recognition to the Filipino nurses and healthcare workers who fought bravely in the frontlines against the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) — especially in New York City, which was the epicenter of the pandemic at its onset in 2020.

In an interview with RTVM, Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez of the Embassy of the Philippines to the USA said there are around 4.3 million Filipinos living and working in the US, whose hard work and contributions are largely recognized and respected in the American society. Of this number, Filipino nurses make up four percent (4%) of all registered nurses in the United States.

“I can promise you that the heroism of yours, our kababayans will not fade into obscurity… Sa gitna ng trahedya, kayo ang naging haligi ng pag-asa. Kayo ang bagong bayaning Pilipino,” said President Marcos Jr. when he acknowledged the country’s modern day heroes.

He also outlined the Administration’s priorities for overseas Filipinos around the globe, tapping the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to ensure that their needs are being served, as well as cited the other goals and targets of the Philippine government in boosting the country’s education system, economy, infrastructure, food security, agriculture and science, among many others.

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