News Release

PBBM made ‘very good impression’ in APEC meeting


President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. made a very good impression on the world’s most important economic leaders and thinkers in his first appearance at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said on Saturday.

“Well, it was his first appearance as President on the world stage because the Asia-Pacific region covers more than half of the world’s economies,” Arroyo said of President Marcos.

“And he certainly made a very good impression on the leaders of the very important economies. And not only the very important economies, also on the great economic thinkers of the world,” Arroyo pointed out.

For her part, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople described the President’s first outing in the Asia-Pacific meeting as “highly successful” that will obviously benefit the country.

The President has developed a good rapport with other economic leaders he met, Ople said, describing those exchanges as “very relaxed, very uplifting.”

“And makikita mo na both sides excited mag-engage, and lalo na noong nakausap na niya ‘yung Crown Prince, si His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman o MBS kung tawagin siya sa Saudi Arabia,” Ople said.

“Makikita mo pag-upo pa lang nila parang magkaibigan na nagkatagpo, nagkuwentuhan, parehong forward-looking, parehong visionary, at parehong proud sa mga Pilipino. Parang ‘yun din ‘yung kanilang naging common ground,” Ople said.

During the President’s bilateral meeting with the Crown Prince, the Saudi government announced compensation for the unpaid wages of around 10,000 OFWs who worked for Saudi Arabia construction firms that went bankrupt a few years ago. #