President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. arrived in Washington D.C. on Sunday afternoon for a five-day official visit where he will reaffirm the special relationship between the Philippines and the United States and focus on his administration’s economic agenda.
Flight PR 001 carrying the President and his official delegation touched down at the Joint Base Andrews at 4:55 pm Sunday (Washington D.C. time).
In an interview with the media, the President said agriculture, power, infrastructure “and all these new technologies” are on top of his agenda during his working visit.
“That’s on the economic level… on the political level, it will still be centered around the relationship between the Philippines and the United States… On the, again, the economic side, we will have to go into detail or meeting with many of the big companies who we were not able to see in the other trips, ‘yung sa New York at saka ‘yung sa Davos. But ngayon, mayroon pa tayong maka-meeting,” said the President.
The President also talked about maintaining peace in the Indo-Pacific region amid global tensions as well as enhancing the role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the global dialogue.
“To put our position forward, and to say that it… kami wala kaming interes kung hindi maging peaceful lang ang region namin. Talagang hindi magka-problema ang mga Pilipino, ‘yun lang naman ang habol natin,” said the President.
The President’s itinerary will begin with a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, followed by an expanded meeting with key Cabinet officials.
The chief executive is also expected to sit down with legislators, major US companies and business groups.
The President is expected to forge “ever stronger ties” with its longstanding allies in a wide range of areas” that not only address the concerns of our times, but are also critical to advancing the core interests of our two peoples.”
The United States is a major bilateral trade and official development assistance partner, and maintains a shared commitment with the country for more dynamic economic relations. (PND)
