President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. urged new ambassadors to "continuously look for opportunities" for business and partnerships for the Philippines.
Marcos said this during a courtesy call of the newly appointed and confirmed Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at the President's Hall in Malacañang on Thursday, December 1.
In his message, the President urged the diplomats to continue communicating, promoting the interest of the Philippines, and fostering partnerships "with all our neighbors."
"Whether or not they are allies, whether or not they are friendly, nonetheless, it is very important that we continue to communicate, that we continue to engage, that we continue to have a way to explain what the Philippines is trying to do, how the Philippines sees its role in the community of nations," Marcos said.
"I think it is important we now look and be very, very conscientious about finding opportunities for the Philippines that might be good for the Philippines," he added.
According to Marcos, it was vital for the Philippines to seal and strengthen partnerships with other countries, especially as the country moves out of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"It is important that we have partners as we try to navigate out of this pandemic economy, out of the crisis that we have had to attend to and deal with as an effect of the Ukraine conflict," he said.
As representatives of the Philippines, President Marcos said ambassadors should serve as "instruments in helping the Philippine economy" and pursuing opportunities to woo more investors.
"When we endorse and assist the private sector in partnerships with whoever the investors from outside, that is also a good thing for us," he said.