Marcos to attend APEC summit, visit Indo-Pacific Command during US trip

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 7) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will leave for the United States next week to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting as well as visit the US Indo-Pacific Command headquarters.

This will be Marcos' second time to participate in the APEC summit, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Charles Jose said at a briefing on Tuesday.

«For this year, the President is keen to push for financing a just, sustainable, and affordable energy transition through partnerships with the business sector,» he said.

Jose added the chief executive will press for deeper cooperation with other nations to improve the country's health system, and to ensure better conditions for Filipino health professionals.

The APEC summit will be held in San Francisco, California on Nov. 15 to 17. Jose added APEC is important to the country as it is the primary forum for economies in the Asia-Pacific region.

Marcos will also meet with Filipino communities in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Honolulu. Meetings with other leaders could happen as well, according to Jose, but he did not provide details.

The DFA official also confirmed that the president accepted the invitation to visit the US Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii. While Jose did not give specifics on Marcos' Hawaiian sidetrip, he said he expects discussions on security issues.

«It adds a layer to the cooperation that we are trying to establish with like-minded states in order to promote what we have been advocating all along,» Jose said.