By Macon Araneta
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. urged the Filipino community in the US to help the Philippine government recover amid the Covid-19 pandemic at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center morning of September 19 (Manila time).
Marcos also called on Filipinos to help boost the country’s investment and tourism sectors. He told them to invest in agri-business ventures as he cited his administration’s push to attain food security.
He appealed to Filipino scientists, engineers, and technical experts to return to the Philippines under the Balik Scientist Program of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
“Let us reverse the brain drain. Let us bring back the brilliance of Filipinos to the Philippines and help bring the Philippines to heights it has not reached before,” said Marcos.
He exhorted them to “do just as much as our diplomats could do by inviting your employers to visit the Philippines not just to enjoy the beauty and hospitality of our country and our people but also to explore possible trade investment opportunities there.”
He told the Filipinos in the US to bring home their friends to allow them to experience for themselves why the Philippines has become one of the top tourism destinations in Asia with its most amazing beaches and stunning landscapes not found anywhere in the world.
Since travel is now allowed, the President told them to be balikbayans and book that long overdue trip back home. “Let us see each other in the Philippines,” said Marcos who is in the United States for the 77th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
Marcos will be the first Philippine president to deliver a speech in person at the UNGA since the late President Benigno Aquino III in 2010.
He was the second speaker of the afternoon session (3:15 p.m. September 20, New York time), following the speaker for Honduras.
Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez said there are around 4.3 million Filipinos living and working in the US.
The President said, “As we continue to search for more solutions to revitalize our beloved country, it is not the time to look back at the past. It is now time to look to the future. And the future looks bright,” he said.
He said the country’s economy is expected to grow by 6.5 to 7 percent this year.
“To our kababayans here in New York, here in the United States, and to our kababayans all over the world, you will still play a very critical role in the economic transformation of our country. Even if you are very far from the Philippines, your beloved country needs you, especially now.”
“I stand here before you today to invoke the quintessential Filipino spirit, the spirit of bayanihan, and to challenge each and every one of you to contribute meaningful change back home,” added the President.
The latest Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) report showed that remittances from Filipinos working abroad increased by 2.3 percent year-on-year to reach $3.17 billion in July from $3.17 billion in the same month of 2021.
The United States remained the biggest source of cash remittances, followed by Singapore and Saudi Arabia.
Romualdez said the President will likely meet with six heads of state during his week-long trip to the US, including talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, and EU President Ursula von der Leyen.
