Marcos arrives in San Francisco for APEC Summit

SAN FRANCISCO - President Ferdinand "Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. arrived in San Francisco, California to participate in the 2023 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit.

The presidential plane carrying Marcos and the entire Philippine delegation landed at 9:05 a.m. (Wednesday, PH Time) in San Francisco International Airport. They went straight to the South San Francisco Conference Center for the scheduled meet-and-greet with members of the Filipino community.

Among the Cabinet members included in the delegation were Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla, Public Works and Highways Manuel Bonoan, and Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo.

House Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto was also part of the delegation. He told reporters that he was part of the House contingent.

The President is keen to push for financing a just, sustainable, and affordable energy transition through partnerships with the business sector during his trip in the United States, according to Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Charles Jose

During the summit, Marcos will also emphasize the need to invest more on clean energy to preserve and protect the environment.

Aside from engaging with other heads of state at the Summit, Marcos will also have meetings with top American business companies. The President will also meet with the Filipino community. 

Marcos said he is expecting to witness the signing of a number of government-to-government, public-private, and business agreements, which have been under negotiation over the past several months.

The deals will cover priority sectors, such as nuclear energy; artificial intelligence to support weather forecasting; health sciences, particularly cancer research, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention; pharmaceutical manufacturing; and satellite connectivity.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said that over 4.2 million Filipinos and Filipino Americans currently live in the United States.—LDF/KBK/AOL, GMA Integrated News