Honolulu, Silicon Valley on Marcos itinerary in November, says Romualdez

JAKARTA, Indonesia —President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos plans to return to Honolulu, Hawaii to meet Filipinos in the American state after his participation in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in November.

In San Francisco, California, venue of the economic summit, Marcos is also slated to meet executives of different Silicon Valley firms.

Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez disclosed this when asked about the embassy’s preparations for the arrival of Marcos in the US for the upcoming APEC.

Romualdez said that some Silicon Valley companies are “very eager” to meet with the Philippine president and that there were other firms from the West Coast that would like to discuss their businesses with him.

“The Silicon Valley tech companies are very eager to meet with him. There’s also quite a number of requests from financial institutions. There are also companies that are in the manufacturing business in the West Coast, and probably a follow-up on the modular nuclear power plants that we’ve been talking about, and a number of companies that are based in the West Coast,” Romualdez told reporters covering Marcos in his participation in the 43rd ASEAN Summit.

According to Romualdez, Marcos is also interested in holding meetings with several potential investors in the Philippines during the APEC Summit.

“The President also would like to have a lot of meetings with potential investors once again, which is really part of his trips. Whenever he goes, especially to the United States, there’s a lot of interest, really, now in the Philippines from many companies,” he said.

For the upcoming event, Romualdez said they anticipate a “very tight schedule” for Marcos.

The ambassador said Marcos is planning to include a short visit in Honolulu, Hawaii after the APEC to meet the Filipino community in the state.

“The President plans to visit another city on the West Coast, and then from there possibly go to other — maybe, we’re still trying to work out a short stay, a short visit to Honolulu. There’s a large Filipino community there,” Romualdez told reporters.

After the EDSA People Power Revolution in 1986, Marcos, together with the late former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., former First Lady Imelda Marcos, and his siblings, fled to Honolulu on a US Air Force C-130.

In an interview in January this year, President Marcos called the years when his family was in exile “dark days” for the Marcoses and even for the Philippines.—LDF, GMA Integrated News