Former President and now Senior Deputy Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made a “very good impression” in his first participation at the 29th Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Bangkok, Thailand.
“He certainly made a very good impression on the leaders of the very important economies—and not only the very important economies but also the great economic thinkers of the world,” Mrs. Arroyo said.
The President earlier described Mrs. Arroyo as his “secret weapon” during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Bangkok.
He personally invited Mrs. Arroyo to accompany him during the APEC Summit, noting that her experiences and insights were valuable.
“I say secret weapon because I’m the newbie here. I’m the new leader.
That’s why when we started the meeting and they’d see GMA, they’d say,
‘Ah my good friend! My good friend!’ Then it would be easy to start talking to them,” Mr. Marcos said.
Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople described Mr. Marcos’ first APEC as “highly successful.”
She said he developed a good rapport with other economic leaders he met, particularly Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, describing their exchanges as “very relaxed, very uplifting.”
“You would see that both sides were excited to engage, especially when he spoke to the Crown Prince, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman of Saudi Arabia,” Ople said.
“The moment they sat down they seemed like friends who have reunited, telling stories, both forward-looking, both visionaries, and bothproud of Filipinos. That was their common ground,” she added.
Earlier, Speaker Martin Romualdez said President Marcos shone as a savvy international relations leader promoting the Philippines during the APEC Summit.
He said the President’s efforts to promote the Philippines as an investment hub and advance its regional interests during the APEC Summit are a resounding success, based on what transpired during the event.
Mr. Marcos, he said, was not only able to effectively articulate the Philippine position on pressing global issues but he also established warm relations with fellow heads of state, particularly during the bilateral meetings held on the sidelines of the APEC meeting.
“The points the President has raised during the various APEC sessions resonated with other leaders of member economies and attuned with the common objective to revitalize the Asia-Pacific region as the main engine of global economic recovery and growth,” Romualdez said.