United Nations Resident Coordinator in the Philippines Gustavo Gonzalez with President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. Image from BBM Media
MANILA, Philippines — President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is mulling attending the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York this September, his camp said Friday.
Marcos Jr. has “yet to confirm” his attendance to the event but told UN Resident Coordinator to the Philippines Gustavo Gonzalez that it would be “very important” for him to represent the country and meet other world leaders, according to a statement released by his office.
Earlier in the day, Marcos Jr. and Gonzales engaged in a meeting, wherein the latter discussed the preparations for this year’s UN General Assembly in New York.
Speaking with reporters after his private meeting with the President-elect, Gonzalez said the general assembly will focus on the global impact of COVID-19 pandemic.
“We had the opportunity to start discussing the preparation of the United Nations General Assembly, you know that this will take place in September, and during this general assembly, we will have to transform it to [an] education summit,” Gonzalez said in a press briefing. “It is an opportunity to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 on the education system.”
“This UN General Assembly meeting will be the first time that the President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will be in front of an important number of heads of state, so this is a great and I think a historic opportunity for the president and for the Philippines to share the new vision, the new challenges but at the same time the new opportunities,” the UN official went on.
Marcos Jr. for his part, told Gonzalez that “ it would be very important to attend and represent the Philippines in the General Assembly and meet with other world leaders.”
The general assembly will take place in the United States. Earlier, a high-ranking Washington official said diplomatic immunity applies to all heads of state, including Marcos Jr.
Therefore, he would be “welcome” to travel to the U.S.
On Friday, the President-elect also met with Swedish Ambassador Annika Thunborg, Ambassador of Holy See Charles Brown as well as Irish Ambassador William Carlos.
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