In observance of the Holy Week, the Philippine News Agency’s online news service will be off on March 29, Good Friday, and March 30, Black Saturday. Normal operations will resume on March 31, Easter Sunday.

— The Editors

PBBM still ‘undecided’ on attending WEF in Switzerland

By Azer Parrocha

November 14, 2022, 12:42 pm

<p>President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. takes questions from reporters in a press conference on the sidelines of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and Related Summits in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Sunday (Nov. 13, 2022). <em>(Photo courtesy of the Office of the Press Secretary)</em></p>

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. takes questions from reporters in a press conference on the sidelines of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and Related Summits in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Sunday (Nov. 13, 2022). (Photo courtesy of the Office of the Press Secretary)

MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Sunday said he remains unsure about accepting the invitation to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland from Jan. 16 to 20 next year.

Marcos explained that the WEF would take place immediately after his state visit to China set for the first week of January.

“I am undecided yet. It’s traveling too much. That’s already the end of January. I’m going to China on the third,” Marcos said in a media interview on the sidelines of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and Related Summits in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

He said other leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have also invited him to make state visits.

“They’ve all invited me. Sabi ko, sige, basta ako naman wala akong hinihindian. Sinasabi ko lang ‘yung mag-schedule tayo kung kailan libre tayo pareho (I said, okay, I won’t reject invitations. I just want to have everything scheduled whenever we’re available). That’s down the road. Siguro (Perhaps) next year, we’ll start honoring those invitations,” he said.

Marcos said his mother, former First Lady Imelda Marcos, had once teased him about spending plenty of time out of the country.

“Like my mom says, ‘Kailan ka nag-oopisina (When did you ever stay in the office)?’ Which is -- may dahilan din (there’s a reason). So I haven’t decided. We’ll see,” he added.

Marcos said the more important question that needs to be asked is when he would start inviting investors to do business in the Philippines.

The President said the “determining factor" for his decision to fly to Switzerland would be whether the Philippines has improved the ease of doing business in the country.

“...The real decision there is really going to be, if we are going to ask people to come to the Philippines, who are going to invest in the Philippines, are we ready for them?”

Meanwhile, Marcos admitted that he barely had enough rest since arriving in Cambodia to attend ASEAN Summits and meet with the Filipino community in Phnom Penh.

"Well, you know, because what happens --- you’re sitting there for what, eight hours, 10 hours, 12 hours, whatever it is. And then you come home, you have to take care of the things that have happened in --- back home. So you don’t really go straight to sleep. You don’t really eat properly. But you know, it has to be done. It’s okay. I mean, you know. Nobody died from honest hard work," he said.

Six months into office, Marcos has so far made state visits to Indonesia and Singapore and a working visit to the United States (US) to attend the 77th United Nations General Assembly.

His most recent foreign trip was a working visit to Cambodia to attend the ASEAN Summits and Related Summits from Nov. 10 to 13.

Established in 1971, WEF serves as an international organization for public-private cooperation.

The annual WEF convenes leaders from government, business, and civil society to address the state of the world and discuss priorities for the year ahead. (PNA)

Comments