President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday rallied members of the diplomatic community to support the country’s bid for a seat in the United Nations Security Council.
In his remarks during the Vin d’Honneur he hosted in Malacañang, the President said he counts on the support of allies for the Philippine candidature for a non-permanent UNSC seat for the term 2027-2028.
“You will excuse my little bit of campaigning for the Philippines and our membership. The Philippines’ bid stands on the strong foundation of our well-recognized contributions to the shaping of a global rules-based architecture that places people and human dignity at the center and respects the sovereignty of nations,” Mr. Marcos said.
“The legacies of the Philippines as a responsible global citizen, I dare say, are solid,” he added.
The Philippines has been a non-permanent member of the powerful UNSC several times before – in 1957, in 1963, from 1980 to 1981, and from 2004 to 2005.
The President likewise called on the diplomatic community to work with his administration in achieving the goals of recently launched Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028, which will serve as the country’s blueprint for its economic and social transformation in the next six years.
“I urge our friends in the diplomatic community to work with us in achieving our development goals as laid out in the Plan through partnerships and cooperation with your respective governments and also your business sectors. Let us discuss opportunities where our countries can participate,” he said.
Post-COVID-19 realities, President Marcos said, “demand recalibrating strategies and focusing on urgent concerns that really matter to the people – that is, food security, job generation, poverty reduction and managing inflation.”
“And these strategies entail ‘new thinking’ in doing things in the bureaucracy, in a way that puts a premium on operational efficiency, sound fiscal management and good governance,” the President said.
The President expressed high hopes in the Philippines’ continued positive economic performance, which he said cushioned the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy.
“Our growth assumptions remain reasonably ambitious. We are looking to the same growth rate– that of 2022 and between 6 to 7 percent for this year,” the President said.
“With the current growth momentum, the Philippines is poised to reach upper middle-income status very soon,” Mr. Marcos added.