Bongbong Marcos: Workforce is PH’s ‘greatest asset’ to economic growth
NEW YORK CITY, United States — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday (Tuesday Manila time) said the Philippine workforce is the country’s “greatest asset” in boosting economic transformation and growth amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking before American business leaders at the New York Stock Exchange, Marcos Jr. expressed confidence that the Philippines has a “bright future” because every Filipino is working towards the same.
“There are 110 million Filipinos that are working towards the same goal, and I still believe our workforce is still our greatest asset,” he said in a short interview with NYSE Vice Chairman John Tuttle.
“It is something that we have seen succeed first of all with our overseas Filipino workers but also in the development of the more sophisticated businesses that have come to the country,” the President added.
Marcos said the Philippines offers high-quality labor, a large consumer market, and a wide range of fiscal and non-fiscal incentives.
READ: Marcos woos investors in New York, cites ‘mutually beneficial’ investment climate in PH
To accelerate the country’s economic transformation, the President said his administration is bent on enhancing the country’s education system and improving the workforce’s technical abilities.
“We will still continue to try and improve the education system in terms of the technical side of our workforce’s training. And as we know, because that is becoming more and more important in the world,” Marcos said.
For his part, Tuttle said Marcos’ presence at the NYSE gave a “renewed sense of optimism” about investment prospects and partnership opportunities in the Philippines.
“I know I speak for many business leaders and investors in this room that they leave today not only with a renewed sense of optimism but a further enhanced and strengthened sense of optimism about the opportunities in the Philippines,” he said.
Meeting with aerospace, energy companies to promote investments
Before his engagement at the NYSE, Marcos met three American companies from the aerospace, sustainable fuels, and renewable energy industries.
According to photos released by the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS), Marcos met with NuScale, a company that designs and markets modular reactors, and WasteFuel, a bio-refinery developer that develops renewable fuels to combat climate change.
He also met with Boeing, an American corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles. Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said the meetings went well without disclosing the results and the discussions in the meeting, saying she was waiting for an update from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) about the meetings.
“Maganda naman ang usapan at in a few days po, makukuha natin ‘yung details or ‘yung pledges regarding these,” she said in a Facebook Live video.
(The meetings went well, and we’ll get the details or pledges regarding these in a few days.)
So far, things are looking good, Angeles said, praising Marcos as the “best salesman for the Philippines.”
“So far, ang nakikita natin ay very optimistic at very positive ang mga kausap ng ating Pangulo. So far, he has proven to be the best salesman for the Philippines,” she said.
(So far, we’re seeing that the people the President talked with were optimistic.)
Monday marks the second day of Marcos’ six-day working visit to the United States.
As part of his working visit, he is set to continue holding dialogues with American business people and heads of US companies.
The President will also participate in roundtables designed to project the country as a vital emerging economy and investment destination in Asia.
On Tuesday, he will participate in the opening of the United Nations 77th General Assembly, where he will deliver a statement during the high-level debate.
