President Marcos expressed his gratitude to the Philippines' international partners as he highlighted the country's strides in diplomacy and economic growth.

Marcos said this as he hosted a New Year Vin D'Honneur for members of the Diplomatic Corps in Malacañan on Saturday evening, Jan. 11.

In his speech, the President reflected on his commitment to putting the Philippines back on the map by fortifying its ties with international partners.

"Early in my presidency, I vowed to reintroduce the Philippines to the world and jumpstart meaningful, concrete, and mutually beneficial partnerships that will drive growth for this country in the 21st Century economy," he said.

"In the last two-and-a-half years, the Philippines has since embarked on the diplomatic agenda that leverages international partnerships which have translated to increased bilateral engagements and cooperation with traditional partners and new allies," he added.

According to the President, the Philippines' commitment to an independent foreign policy has led to expanding international partnerships.

President Marcos said four new embassies in Europe and Latin America last year, with plans to establish four more foreign service posts in North America, Asia, and the Pacific.

"By the end of 2025, we will have 102 posts effectively widening our reach globally," he said, noting that new embassies from Bahrain and Slovenia opened in Manila in 2024, with more expected from Central Asia in the coming years.

Economic front

Regarding the economic front, President Marcos highlighted the nation's resilience.

"The Philippine economy remains amongst the strongest in Asia, expanding 5.8 percent for the first three quarters of last year and outstripping performances of some peers in the Asian region," he said.

He likewise detailed significant fiscal achievements such as the government's revenue collection for 2024 hitting about P 4.42 trillion, or 16.7 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP).

"This is the highest figure in the last 27 years. The last time was 1997," Marcos said.

The Chief Executive also boasted about the country's credit rating improvement in 2024 when the Philippines earned its first-ever credit rating upgrade of A-minus with a stable outlook from Rating and Investment Information Inc. and an upgrade of outlook to positive from S&P global ratings.

President Marcos likewise highlighted the country's unemployment rate dropping to 4.0 percent, well below the full-year target rates of 4.4 to 4.7 percent.

"We owe this to the sustained strength of the country's labor market," he said.

Meanwhile, he shared his dream of overseas work will someday be a "matter of choice and not one of necessity."

Looking to the future, Marcos expressed optimism about achieving upper-middle-income status.

"With strong macroeconomic fundamentals, we are confident that the country will be able to hit this year the GNI (gross national income) per capita rate set for us by the World Bank to reach the upper-middle-income status country, coming off from an all-time high record registered in 2023 to the tune of $4,335 or P1,665," he said.

UN Security Council

Meanwhile, President Marcos took time to appeal to the country's foreign partners to support the Philippines' candidacy for the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) seat for the term 2027-2028.

"Our candidature stands on our rich experience in building peace, forging consensus, and finding new pacts for cooperation," he said.

"I take this opportunity anew to convey to your respective governments our earnest request for your support to our UNSC bid," he added.