President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. returned early Sunday morning from a six-day working visit to the United States.
“It’s good to be home,” Marcos said during his arrival speech, before expressing his gratitude to Vice President Sara Z. Duterte who served as caretaker while he was away.
Duterte was among dozens of government officials who welcomed Marcos and his delegation at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2.
Marcos talked about his accomplishments during the week-long US visit.
He said his meeting with the Filipino community “took away the weariness of the 16-hour flight from Manila.”
“I thanked them for the work that they do and their contributions to the Philippines, the community, and the United States,” he added.
Marcos also cited his address in the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly as significant.
“I addressed global issues that require a united global action such as climate change, rising food prices, rapid technological change, the peaceful resolution of international disputes, the need to protect the vulnerable sectors of our society such as migrants, and ending all forms of prejudice,” he stressed.
The Chief Executive disclosed that he invited UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to visit the country.
“During the conference at the UN, I also held formal and informal bilateral meetings with leaders of our key partners such as the US and Japan,” he said.
“I shared with them the priorities of PH, to work with them in addressing food, energy security, climate change, among many issues.”
His meeting with potential investors from the US was fruitful.
“I met also with a number of business leaders from different US companies during the week and all of them committed to be part of our development and economic growth,” he said.
“There will — I believe — good news to share in the next two months, particularly in terms of their plans to expand and further broaden their investment footprint in our country,” he added.
Marcos reiterated that now is the time to invest in the country.
“The time to invest in the Philippines is no longer just some time in the future, it is now,” he said.