President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will leave for the United States on Sept. 18 for a week-long working visit, during which he will speak on the country’s efforts to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, the rule of law, and food security, at the 77th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Sept. 20.
“We are going to 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.
“The President is expected to discuss his administration’s priorities in his speech at the UN’s high-level general debate, which he is expected to deliver on Sept. 20,” Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Kira Azucena said.
This year’s theme of the general debate, she said, is “a watershed moment, transformative solutions to interlocking challenges.”
“The public can expect the President to highlight his plans to revive the country’s recovery after being hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. He will likewise discuss the climate issues, challenges and solutions to address them, the role of the United Nations and how the Philippines intends to contribute to these efforts,” she added.
“The President has made it very clear from the initial discussions preparatory to this trip to New York, that it will be more than his debut on the world stage,” DFA Assistant Secretary for the Office of American Affairs (OAA) JV Chan Gonzaga said.
The DFA said that President Marcos’ delegation comprises secretaries, undersecretaries, and support staff of different government agencies.
These agencies include the departments of Trade and Industry (DTI), Finance (DOF), and Migrant Workers (DMW); the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA); and about 20 to 30 senior Philippine corporate executives.
“He gave unequivocal instructions that his meetings, whether with fellow world leaders or with US corporations, should focus on finding necessary partnerships that will benefit the Philippine economy and the Filipino people,” he added.
Mr. Marcos will also meet with American businessmen at an economic briefing in New York.
“This briefing 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,” he added.
The meeting, he said, aims to harvest investments for the Philippines.
“As such, the other most important speech that the President will deliver in New York, aside from his UNGA address, will be at the Philippine Economic Briefing (PEB). The PEB is expected to attract institutional investors, senior corporate executives, business analysts, and even academics, think tanks, and entrepreneurs,” said Gonzaga.
Mr. Marcos is also expected to participate in roundtables with targeted sectors, some US companies, the US Chamber of Commerce, US-ASEAN Business Council, and the US-Philippines Society.
At the same time, the DFA said Marcos’s meeting with US President Joe Biden has not been confirmed yet.
Gonzaga said the department is still in consultation” with the White House and the US National Security Council for the possible meeting of the two leaders.
Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Romualdez “is personally dealing with the matter,” Gonzaga said.
In July, Romualdez said Biden invited Mr. Marcos to come to the US through a handwritten letter brought by US Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff who was his personal emissary to Mr. Marcos’ inauguration on June 30.