President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday said he sees many grand opportunities in boosting the Philippines’ ties with Hawaii in terms of investments and trade.
The President welcomed members of the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Honolulu and Honolulu City Council Trade Mission during their courtesy call at Malacañan Palace.
“I think I see many grand opportunities and I thank you for coming, and to explore those opportunities and try to make them into a reality for the betterment of both Hawaii and your partners here in the Philippines,” Mr. Marcos told his guests.
The President also thanked the Filipino-Hawaiian community, citing hisfamily’s experience in the US island state, which took them in after they fled the country in 1986.
Addressing the members of the Honolulu City Council delegation as well as participants of the 31st Trade Mission of the Filipino Chamber ofCommerce of Hawaii and Hawaii Philippines Business Economic Council, the President said he is forever grateful to those who helped his family.
He applauded their exploration in beefing up the economic and trade ties between the two nations.
“I think there is a great deal of potential there, as there are so many similarities in terms of what are needed and what needs to be done in terms of the state of Hawaii and the Philippines and in specific areas of the Philippines,” the President said.
Amid threats from global challenges to the nation’s economy, Mr. Marcos assured his audience the situation has changed, citing the need to turn all opportunities into reality.
“I mean, all of these, the supply chain problems that we’ve been encountering around the world, those are the problems that we have tried to remedy and to alleviate. and I think that we have succeeded to an extent, we will continue to work in that direction because again trade is important to us,” the President stressed.
In closing, Mr. Marcos thanked his visitors, noting Hawaii’s special place in his heart, especially the people who showed kindness to his family.
“The kindness that we were shown again in difficult circumstances is something that we will be forever grateful for and that we will never forget and therefore you have your number one supporter here in the Philippines,” the President said.