Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte on Sunday said the achievements of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in propelling the Philippines Into the world stage “has fittingly earned for him a spot in the international Time Magazine’s prestigious list of the world’s most influential people.”
Villafuerte cited the President for drumming up global support for such significant issues as regional peace and climate justice, and pitching the country as back in business after COVID-19.
“Our President’s success in drawing the world’s attention to, and more importantly, drumming up international support behind concerns requiring collective and immediate action such as peace in the Indo-Pacific region amid non-stop Chinese bullying, and climate justice for the most vulnerable economies is no mean feat,” he said.
“No wonder Mr. Marcos landed this year on Time’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world,” he noted.
The Bicol lawmaker said the Chief Executive has achieved in less than two years in the job in turning the spotlight on matters that affect the Philippines and the rest of the world, and, more crucially, in drumming up increasing global support behind these concerns.
The New York-based Time Magazine, one of the world’s most authoritative and reliable publications, explained that the President deserves to be in its 2024 list of topmost influencers for elevating the Philippines on the world stage, steadying its post-COVID economy, standing up to Chinese aggression in the contested South China Sea and bolstering Manila’s alliance with Washington amid rising tensions in the region and the world.
Villafuerte said the President’s initiatives in beefing up the country’s defense capabilities and mobilizing international support behind Manila’s territorial dispute with Beijing in the West Philippine Sea culminated in his April 11 trilateral summit in Washington with President Joseph Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida that bolstered these countries joint defense and security relations in the Indo-Pacific region.
He also said the President has been proven correct in taking a strong stance on the WPS dispute, as public opinion polls showed he has the support of most Filipinos on this national defense matter.
He said Marcos and his economic team have pursued further structural and policy reforms responsible for the economy’s strong rebound from the COVID-driven global health and financial crises, leading to the Philippines’ status as one of Asia’s fastest-growing economies.