Metro Manila, Philippines, May 24 ------ Presumptive president Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos held a briefing on May 23 to reveal topics he discussed with foreign ambassadors.
Marcos said he held closed-door meetings at his headquarters with envoys from India, Japan, South Korea and the United States to discuss cooperation and other issues, especially in the light of the pandemic. "Ang lagi ko lang pinapaalala sa kanila sinasabi ko palagay ko sa pandemyang ito ang recovery ng lahat natin ay hindi kakayanin ng kahit na isang bansa kahit na gaano kayaman. Kailangan the partnership will be the one that will bring us to keep the global economy as stable as possible," Marcos said at the briefing.
Marcos said he and Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhiko Koshikawa spoke about possible infrastructure and transportation projects, as well as employment opportunities, between the two countries. "Japan would like to see an increase of employment of Filipinos in Japan," said Marcos. Among the topics discussed with South Korean Ambassador Kim Inchul was the possible revival of the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. "Pwede pa ba ituloy o kailangan na magtayo ng bago? Binuhay ulit namin ang diskusyon na ‘yon," he said. "We will now study their recommendation and their findings and we will see if it can still apply, because as we have been talking about all through the campaign, isa sa pinakamalaking problema is the supply of power. If we are going to industrialize post-pandemic...then the power sector must be ready for that."
Meanwhile, Marcos said he and Indian Ambassador Shambhu S. Kumaran talked about agriculture, adding that the country could learn from its Asian neighbor, especially when it comes to technology and "how to bring the average age of farmers down." Marcos said bringing in new technology could raise the interest of young people so that they would become involved in agriculture. He also said he was "very, very interested" in India's micro-financing programs that allow a person to open an account for as little as P70.
During his meeting with US Chargé d'Affaires Heather Variava, Marcos said one of the first subjects they talked about was assistance to mitigate the effects of climate change. Marcos added that while the country would welcome any assistance from the US for the economy, he said it would be about "trade, not aid." He briefly spoke about security concerns between the two countries. "Pinag-usapan din namin the return, or the re-signing or extension of the VFA...and how it has to be redefined for the near future with the changing situation in the world, especially in our region," Marcos added.
Source: cnnphilippines.com
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