President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. came back to the country with hopes that his working visit in the United States will serve as a "good start" for programs and opportunities under his administration.
"We in the Philippine delegation are one in our assessment that the work done in this trip serves as a good start for opportunities identified to be made into programs and projects to benefit the Philippines and our countrymen," Marcos said upon arriving at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Sunday morning, Sept. 25.
He is back from a week-long US trip for his participation in the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
In his arrival speech, Marcos reported the work that he did during his US trip, noting that gains from his several engagements with high-ranking officials and business leaders are expected to be felt in the "next few months."
He said all of the business leaders from different US companies he met during the week have "committed to be a part of our development and economic growth."
"There will be, I believe, good news to share in the next few months, particularly in terms of their plans to expand and further broaden their investment footprint in our country," he said.
"Our discussion with the US business community affirms the optimism with which international investors view the Philippines today," he added.
After delivering his statement at the high-level debates, Marcos met with business executives from several sectors such as IT-BPM, digital infrastructure, global brands particularly in garments and apparel, and industry and infrastructure.
He said he was able to get "candid and constructive comments" from them as they identified areas of cooperation.
Before leaving the US, he also had a roundtable discussion with a select group of leaders of the US business community where he talked about his administration’s priorities and plans for the next six years.
"he engagement with the Asia Society was a fitting end to a week in the UN and the United States that had one singular message: the time to invest in the Philippines is no longer just sometime in the future, it is now," he said.
He further said that his US trip is "a very good and strong start to our efforts."