Staying true to his pronouncement that he will engage the private sector in government initiatives, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. met with two private sector groups this week to tackle plans for economic recovery and the tourism industry.
In a tweet, Marcos revealed that he met members of the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. in Malacañang on September 30 to get ideas about the recovery of the Philippine economy.
"We thank our friends from the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. for meeting with us yesterday and for sharing their ideas to speed up our country's economic recovery from the pandemic," he wrote.
"We are pleased they have eagerly responded to our call for a whole-of-nation approach to addressing this immense and arduous task," he added.
We thank our friends from the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. for meeting with us yesterday and for sharing their ideas to speed up our country's economic recovery from the pandemic. pic.twitter.com/pVVsp90P4M
— Bongbong Marcos (@bongbongmarcos) October 1, 2022
Before this, Marcos also met with the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) on September 29 to discuss new ways to boost tourism in the country.
"Now is the best time to revitalize the tourism industry, and it can only be achieved with the help of our private sector," he said.
We met with the members of the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) to discuss new ways to boost tourism in our country.
Now is the best time to revitalize the tourism industry, and it can only be achieved with the help of our private sector. pic.twitter.com/8gvgusoPcb
— Bongbong Marcos (@bongbongmarcos) September 30, 2022
Malacañang has yet to release more information on the two meetings.
Early this week, President Marcos declared that the Philippines is "open for business" with the opening of the new terminal building of the Clark International Airport in Mabalacat, Pampanga, on September 28.
"This facility is essentially a very strong signal that yes, indeed, we are open for business," he said.
"The simple message that underlay all that we did was that the Philippines is here, we are a good place to invest," he added.
Marcos delivered the same message to prospective American businessmen when he went to New York for a six-day working visit last week.
He said the best time to do business in the Philippines was "now," noting the "grand opportunities, the timing, the window of opportunities" for investment in the Philippines.
"We invite strategic investors from the United States to take part in this Philippines economic resurgence," he said.
"Key structural reforms have been set into place to allow for wider participation in our industries," he added.
This week, Malacañang bared the possibility of the Philippines getting $3.9 billion in investments from Marcos' trip to New York. This could generate 112,285 in the information technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM), data centers, and manufacturing sectors.