PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has returned to the Philippines from his successful participation in United States in the 30th Economic Leaders’ Meeting (AELM) in San Francisco, California, and his working visits to Los Angeles, California, and Honolulu, Hawaii.
In his arrival statement on Monday night at Villamor Airbase, Pasay City, PBBM expressed high hopes that the trip would bring peace, stability, and prosperity not only to the Philippines but also to the entire Indo-Pacific Region.
On October 14, President Marcos and his delegation left the country for a 6-day official trip to the US to attend the 30th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting and 2nd IPEF Leaders’ Meeting.
Marcos also held separate meetings with President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China, Peruvian President Dina Ercilia Boluarte Zegarra, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and U.S. INDOPACOM Commander, Admiral John Aquilino.
Marcos stated that their discussions were productive, focusing on innovation, resilience, sustainability, and inclusiveness. These themes were supported by their commitment to strengthen cooperation and address common challenges in both economic and security aspects.
“Our discussions were of course very productive, with innovation, resilience, sustainability, and inclusiveness as cross-cutting themes that are buttressed by our commitment to further strengthening cooperation and to address challenges that are common to all our economies both economic challenges and security challenges,” according to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
At the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in San Francisco, President Marcos advocated priorities such as clean, fair, accessible, and affordable energy.
The Chief Executive also pushed for food security, health system, digitalization, and digital transformation, including the digital inclusion of Micro-, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises or MSMEs, and climate action through regional cooperation.
During the trip, the Philippines and the U.S. signed the civil nuclear cooperation agreement, paving the way for potential nuclear power projects with American providers and streamlining licensing requirements for the private sector concerning investments in nuclear-related intangible transfers of technology while ensuring the highest standards of safety, security, and safeguards.
One of the most important is the signing of the so-called “123” Agreement, which is a civil nuclear cooperation agreement with the United States. This paves the way for potential nuclear power projects with American providers as well as for streamlining licensing requirements for the private sector with respect to investments in nuclear-related intangible transfers of technology while ensuring the highest standards of safety, security, and safeguards
The two countries also signed the IPEF Supply Chain Agreement, serving as a mechanism to improve the transparency of the supply chain.
The delegation also met with several U.S. companies seeking entry into the Philippine market and expanding their current presence and operations in the country.
The Philippines also concluded various public-private and private-sector agreements with U.S. companies. These include ATMO for an AI-powered weather forecasting system and Astranis and Orbits Corp to provide reliable internet connection in underserviced areas lacking service in the country.
“This USD 400 million partnership will be a catalyst for economic growth and digital transformation in the energy sector. Essentially, what that project is about is that now the Philippines is launching a satellite dedicated for the Philippines alone. And this is for communication and this will increase the coverage of our internet providers. And by the way, we named the satellite Agila,” President Marcos said.
Various meetings were also held for expected investments in the energy, pharmaceutical, and healthcare sectors.
In total, the Philippine delegation brought home approximately USD 670 million in investment pledges, potentially creating thousands of jobs for Filipinos within the country.
The Chief Executive also engaged with the Filipino community in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Hawaii.
President Marcos concluded his visit with a speaking engagement at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies (DKI APCSS), where he shared his reflections on the region’s most critical challenges.
