Marcos New York trip to focus on economic, investment opportunities
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s New York trip will have a strong focus on scoring investment and business opportunities to aid the country’s economic recovery.
Marcos is set to travel to the United States next week, from September 18 to 24 for the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Thanks to diplomatic immunity afforded to heads of state, the chief executive will be allowed to step on US soil despite a 1995 contempt order resulting from human rights class suit.
“He gave unequivocal instructions that his meetings, whether with fellow world leaders, or with US corporations, should focus on finding necessary partnerships or synergies that will benefit the Philippine economy and the Filipino people,” Office of American Affairs Assistant Secretary Jose Victor Chan-Gonzaga said in a press briefing on Thursday.
77th UNGA
While at the UNGA, Marcos is expected to deliver a national statement at the High-Level General Debate on September 20. His speech will put emphasis on the administration’s priorities such as climate change, the rule of law, and food security.
Asked if Marcos would bring up the issue in the South China Sea in his speech, the DFA said the speech it prepared for the chief executive emphasizes both the rule of law and the role of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
However, the draft speech is still awaiting a greenlight from the Office of the President.
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"We [can] expect that his speech will be relating to how the Philippines will be recovering from this pandemic and where he intends to take this and how he will do so in cooperation with other states," Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said during the joint briefing, adding that economic recovery has been on the forefront of the administration's priorities.
Over 152 heads of state and government officials from around the world are expected to participate at the the event. While the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the Press Secretary left out on the specifics, they noted Marcos will take time to meet with other world leaders and "some key UN officials."
Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier said they are trying to arrange a meeting between Marcos and US President Joe Biden.
"We agreed to work together over the next couple of months in firming up opportunities for our presidents for a possible meeting on the sidelines of the [UNGA] next month as well as a possible visit by President Marcos to Washington DC their schedules permitting in response to an open invitation extended by President Biden," Manalo said in a virtual press conference with Blinken during the latter’s visit in August.
READ: Biden invites Marcos to White House
Meanwhile, the presidential delegation for the upcoming trip will be composed of officials and members of the country’s economic team — such as the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Finance, and the National Economic and Development Authority — as well as the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Migrant Workers.
Philippine Economic Briefing
Aside from the UNGA, the Philippine delegation will also be pitching to US-based institutional investors, business leaders and analysts, as well as academics and think tanks through a Philippine Economic Briefing.
There will be business delegation composed of at least 20 to 30 senior Philippine corporate executives who will go on the trip with Marcos.
"The president’s keynote address at the PEB will be an opportunity to outline the key economic priorities of his administration, with a special focus on how we can hopefully expand and strengthen Philippine-US trade and investment relations during his term," Chan-Gonzaga said.
Marcos will also participate in CEO roundtables “on targeted sectors" and one-on-one business meetings.
The chief executives will also hold discussions with the US Chamber of Commerce, US-ASEAN Business Council, and the US-Philippines Society.
Earlier this month, Marcos went on his first state visits to Indonesia and Singapore, where he reportedly inked business deals, through memoranda of understanding and letters of intent. His trip to New York would be his third overseas visit as the country’s chief executive.
In Indonesia, the government scored $8.5-billion worth of investments in sectors such as textiles and garments, renewable energy, satelity gateway, wired global technology, and agrifood, as well as in infrastructure and trade supply of coal and fertilizer.
Meanwhile, the government was able to get $6.540-billion deals in Singapore for renewable energy, the blue economy, start-ups, data centers, among others.
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