ZURICH, Switzerland — President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. wrapped up on Friday his trip to Switzerland for the 2023 World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, saying they were able to accomplish what they traveled for — favorable positioning for the Philippines as the global economy reopens.
"We, as I said, I think, most, if not all, that we wanted to do for the conference, nagawa naman natin at nadagdagan pa (we accomplished them, and then some more)," he told the Manila-based media here.
The President explained that his participation in the WEF was part of a "process" of reintroducing the country to the rest of the world as the global economy reopened after taking a toll due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"This is a process. You don't go one time and come home and everybody's going to invest one trillion. We have to introduce them to the Philippines again," Marcos said.
"We have to ask them to come to the Philippines, send a team, make assessments, etc. Eventually, kung magkaintindihan, magkakaroon ng bagong investments (if we reach an agreement, we will get new investments). This is how it works," he added.
Marcos said they were able to position the Philippines properly at the WEF.
"We could say that we have to position ourselves properly for the new global economy," he said.
"That's what we're doing now. We're positioning ourselves so that we're ready to respond to the needs of the new economy para pagbukas niyan, sabay tayo (so when it reopens, we're part of the equation)," he added.
WATCH: President Marcos wrapped up his trip to Switzerland for the 2023 World Economic Forum, saying they were able to accomplish what they traveled for: favorable positioning for PH as the global economy reopens. @manilabulletin pic.twitter.com/d65BGkpnC5
— Argyll Cyrus Geducos (@argyllcyrus_MB) January 20, 2023
President Marcos said the WEF participation was vital because it enables one to meet world leaders and executives of international companies.
"You meet the top CEOs of Fortune 100 companies here and you also run into other heads of state and heads of the World Bank, and the IMF. It's all about the global economy," he said.
Marcos' trip to Switzerland for the WEF yielded commitments from at least 10 international companies to invest or expand their operations in the Philippines.
Delegation
Meanwhile, President Marcos addressed criticisms that he brought a large delegation to the WEF. He said half of the people who went with him were from the private sector.
"The delegation was large. But half of it was private. They came here on their own," he explained.
"They stayed in their own places. They made their own arrangements. Although they are technically part of the delegation," he added.
Marcos said his delegation essentially just consisted of the Cabinet secretaries, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, and their support staff.
With regards to the use of Philippine Airlines flight PR001, the President said it didn't matter how many people boarded it because the pay was the same.
WATCH: President Marcos explains huge delegation for the 2203 World Economic Forum. @manilabulletin pic.twitter.com/6jk2KallBy
— Argyll Cyrus Geducos (@argyllcyrus_MB) January 20, 2023
"Nakita naman niyo ‘yung eroplano, walang laman halos, eh (You saw the plane. It's almost empty). Because it’s --- we don’t need --- we didn’t fill it up. We don’t have that many people --- that the government is paying for," Marcos said.
"In regards of the plane, kahit naman ilan ang isakay mo ‘yan, pareho lang ibabayad mo (No matter how many people ride it, you'll pay the same price). So it doesn’t make any difference how many people came on," he added.
President Marcos said it was essential for him to bring his Cabinet secretaries to the trip because someone had to answer the questions during negotiations.
"We try to be complete. We have to be thorough," he said.
"We tried to make sure that whatever comes up, we’re ready to process it, we’re ready to negotiate, we’re ready to do what needs to be done," he added.
When it came to Romualdez and Senator Mark Villar, the Chief Executive explained that the two lawmakers were there to explain the country's policies or if potential investors have concerns about Philippine laws.
"We have to present members of the legislature because of all of these changes in policy that we are talking about," Marcos said.
"We have the legislators here who can say: 'Well, we can do something about it,' or, 'No, that is important to us that we maintain it," he added.
WATCH: President Marcos explains why House Speaker Martin Romualdez and Sen. Mark Villar joined him in Davos. @manilabulletin pic.twitter.com/60XiLKmA7X
— Argyll Cyrus Geducos (@argyllcyrus_MB) January 20, 2023