Weeks before his scheduled visit to the United States of America (USA), President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. expressed his gratitude to the American Government for its partnership with the Philippines, particularly in strengthening small businesses.
Marcos said this as he graced the MSME (micro, small, and medium enterprises) Summit 2022 at the Manila Hotel on Friday, August 26. The said event was hosted by Go Negosyo in collaboration with the US Embassy in the Philippines and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
In his speech, the President thanked American Ambassador MaryKay Carlson for the US Government's commitment to helping the Philippines in many endeavors, including strengthening MSMEs.
"Madame, I'm very happy to see you here because this – when we first spoke, this is -- and I talked about the partnerships that need to be forged for the future. This is precisely the kind of partnership that I meant," Marcos said, addressing Carlson.
"I hope that we will promote this sort of partnership between our two countries on a bilateral and multilateral basis, and I see this very much as the way forward. Thank you very much for being involved in this," he added.
For her part, Carlson said the US government is committed to remaining as the Philippines' "ally, friend, and partner."
President Marcos' statement came weeks ahead of his expected trip to the United States for the 77th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
This was not the first time Marcos mentioned the Philippines' partnership with one of its longest-standing allies. Last week, he welcomed the US Congressional Delegation headed by Senator Edward Markey in Malacañang, where he said he was keen on continuing the partnership in areas including addressing the illegal drug trade.
"We look forward to continuing our partnership with the US in the areas of renewable energy use, agricultural development, economic reform, and mitigation of drug problem," he wrote in a Facebook post.
Last month, President Marcos told Ambassador Carlson that the Philippines is "committed to the continuing relationship between our two countries, in the many dimensions and the multi-faceted nature of our relationship."