Why did House Speaker Martin Romualdez accompany President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to Singapore for the F1 Grand Prix?
Romualdez was asked this question Thursday morning, Oct. 6 in a chance interview with reporters on the sidelines of the kickoff of HRep Month.
"There was an official invitation by the Prime Minister of Singapore," Romualdez said, referring to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
The racing spectacle took place during the previous weekend. Marcos's presence at the event has drawn criticism from the public.
Responding to this, Romualdez said: "They may not have been aware of the details but there’s been a lot of goodwill. When the Prime Minister of the country where you derive the most foreign direct investments are mixed...in the invitation."
"I think it’s always a good idea to honor that invitation and to engage further not just Singapore, but the countries in the region— not only the governments, but of course the business communities in the region," noted the Leyte 1st district representative and president of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) party.
According to the House leader, Marcos, who only assumed the presidency last June 30, has done "very well" in terms of engaging the international business community.
"I think he’s done very well. They now know—our friends in the region know— that the Philippines is open for business and that the Marcos administration, his administration is ushering in a whole new environment for business and investments and that would augur well for the economy, especially during these times," Romualdez further said.
READ THIS TOO:
A few days ago, House Majority Leader and Zamboanga City 2nd district Rep. Mannix Dalipe said there was nothing wrong with the President’s trip to Singapore given that he was invited by the host government to watch the F1 Grand Prix.
Dalipe also said that Marcos stood out as a leader in Southeast Asia.