President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Wednesday recognized the contribution of American businesses to the Philippine government's efforts to strengthen its economy.
"I recognize the critical role that the United States and American businesses have played in advancing a robust and inclusive economic growth in the Philippines, not only in this period but for a very long time now," Marcos said during the courtesy call of the US-ASEAN Business Council at the Palace.
"I invite the members of the esteemed Council to continue being valuable partners of the Philippines. Let us push for greater economic engagement between our two countries, for our mutual benefit, for the prosperity, especially of the region," he added.
Former US ambassador Ted Osius, who serves as the Council's president, stated that American businesses look forward to expanding their collaborations with Philippine businesses and the government.
"We’re very much focused and you highlight these themes on sustainable development, transformative digitalization, innovative healthcare solutions, supply chain resilience, and ease of doing business," Osius said.
"We are determined that we come here not just to talk but also bring a lot of action to create real partnerships and to show our commitment in the form of investments," he added.
According to Osius, 30 American firms are travelling with the delegation to the Philippines.
He also stressed how crucial it was for the nation to be a member of both APEC and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity.
"The view in Washington is the Philippines has been an incredible partner in this process, especially Pillar II, the supply chain pillar of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework and the US is looking for continued Philippine leadership on Pillar III which is focused on clean energy, decarbonization, and infrastructure, and Pillar IV, tax and anti-corruption," the American representative said.
