Marcos justifies foreign travel as a means for job creation

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. defended foreign trips anew during his third State of the Nation Address (SONA), saying that it was part of his administration's thrust for better jobs.  

“Our aggressive infrastructure development, business-friendly policies, investment and export promotions, foreign visits, and economic missions, are all aimed at generating not just jobs, but quality and competitive jobs,” Marcos in his SONA. 

“A substantial number of investment pledges have already commenced operations, with many more at various stages of development. Makakalikha ang mga ito ng mahigit 200,000 na trabaho para sa ating mga kababayan (This will create more than 200,000 jobs for our citizens),” the president added.

Foreign trips have become a defining feature for Marcos’ presidency, with the chief executive believing that it was important for the Philippines to introduce itself to the world.

In 2023, the Presidential Communications Office said that Marcos’ 11 foreign trips for that year garnered P4 trillion in investments in varying stages, but did not specify how much of these were pledged and how much was actualized. 

The Department of Trade and Industry in June said that Marcos’ trips have so far yielded $19 billion (P1.1 trillion) of actualized investments. 

In 2024, Marcos visited eight countries: twice to Brunei and Australia, and once each to Vietnam, Germany, the Czech Republic, the United States, and Singapore.