President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Thursday said there will be no mistaking the message he would unwrap at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit as he took the plane that would bring him bring him to Lima, Peru.
“My message to APEC will be clear: the Philippines is open for business,” he told reporters in his pre-departure speech at the Davao International Airport.
It will be Duterte’s first time to attend the annual meeting of 21 heads of economies, whose aim is to foster free trade in the Asia-Pacific rim.
He said that the country will do everything to make sure that business, particularly the micro, small, medium enterprises (MSMEs) will thrive and flourish.
“I will highlight government policy support as well as efforts to address corruption and criminality as building blocks of a strong and resilient economy aimed at inclusive and continued growth,” Duterte said.
He added that the government is working very hard to make sure that our economy “will finally take flight.”
Duterte mentioned he will bring up to the APEC meetings the components of the administration’s socioeconomic agenda, particularly improvements in doing business, more responsive and efficient governance, massive investment in infrastructure, focus on rural development, and increased investment in human capital.
“We must harness the potential of this huge region to ensure that no one, especially our citizens, are left behind in the march for greater progress and prosperity – our people are at the core of our program on inclusive growth and sustainable development, we will spare no effort to realize this in the context of APEC,” he said.
Duterte mentioned that Filipino businesses must be ready to further deepen and broaden our engagement with South America, especially those that straddle the Pacific, as economic partners.
The APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Peru takes place on November 19 to 20.
This year’s summit is expected to be overshadowed by worries over the protectionist policies of US president-elect Donald Trump.
The President is also expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the said summit.
The APEC is an association dedicated to the trade, cooperation, and economic growth of nations along the Pacific. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) works to remove trade tariffs and other obstacles to trade in the area. The organization was established in 1989, and 21 nations are members. The APEC’s headquarters are in Singapore. The countries involved are Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, China; Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, The Republic of the Philippines, The Russian Federation, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, United States of America, and Viet Nam.
