Senator Imee Marcos on Friday, November 1 said the Philippines and the rest of the other countries should brace for the impact of the results of the United States elections. 

With nearly 4.5 million Filipino-Americans living in the US, including both US citizens and residents of Filipino origin, Marcos emphasized the need for a peaceful and orderly electoral process. 

Up until now, the senator observed it is still uncertain who between Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Republican presidential bet Donald Trump has the upper hand in the US presidential elections. 

“The political and economic stability of the U.S. is integral to world economic stability,” Marcos said highlighting the Philippines' responsibility to protect its economy and citizens. 

She noted that any US president will naturally prioritize American interests. This, she said, underscores the importance of safeguarding Philippines' own interests.

Marcos also warned stricter US immigration policies could lead to the deportation of thousands of undocumented Filipinos. 

She also said efforts to bring American companies back onshore may lessen direct investments and reduce jobs in the country, especially in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector. 

Marcos noted that even under the current “friend-shoring” policy between the US and Philippines, the Marcos administration continues to miss out on major foreign investments. 

For instance, American multinational consumer goods corporation Procter & Gamble has announced plans to invest USD 100 million to expand its factory production in Vietnam early this year. 

Meanwhile, Microsoft revealed plans for investments in artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud facilities worth US$1.7 billion in Indonesia, and Google committed US$1 billion to Thailand for building a data center and accelerating AI growth. 

On the other hand, the Philippines has missed out on these major foreign investments, raising concerns about the country’s competitiveness in attracting multinational corporations.

“Aside from boosting domestic demand, we must also attract investments into the country and revive our manufacturing sector,” she said.

“To do that, we must make our country attractive to investors by bringing down the power cost and making it easier for them to avail the incentives that we are currently offering,” the lawmaker stressed.