Marcos says San Francisco visit backs PH innovation agenda

SAN FRANCISCO - President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Wednesday (PH time) said his and his delegation's presence in the San Francisco Bay Area will support the Philippines' innovation ecosystem. 

In his speech before the Filipino community at the South San Francisco Conference Center, Marcos acknowledged that California is an important trade and investment partner of the Philippines. 

"Our country is also important to the state as it has been a popular destination for green field investment from our country," Marcos said.

"On the sidelines of the APEC meetings, my delegation will conduct business meetings in San Francisco to seek mutually beneficial exchanges and partnerships," he added. 

"Our presence in the bay area this week also supports the development of Philippine innovation ecosystem, in line with the national innovation agenda framework."

The President said energy security is among the priority sectors that will be tackled during his meeting with American business firms. He noted that investments from the United States have seen an upward trend of $6.2 billion in 2022 — a 15.7% increase from 2021.

"By the end of our four-day to San Francisco, we hope to have witnessed the signing of agreements with various American businesses in the fields of digital infrastructure and connectivity, renewable energy, electronics manufacturing, health and tourism among others," Marcos said. 

Marcos is in San Francisco to participate in the 2023 APEC Summit. His weeklong working visit to the US will also take him to Los Angeles and Honolulu, Hawaii.

Marcos and his delegation arrived in San Francisco shortly after 9 a.m. on Wednesday (PHL time) and went straight to the South San Francisco Conference Center for the scheduled meet-and-greet with members of the Filipino community.

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