First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos on Wednesday expressed appreciation to the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) Philippines and the Kapatid Angat Lahat Program (KALAP) for their significant role in nation-building.

Araneta-Marcos had dinner with the ASEAN-BAC Philippines and KALAP on the sidelines of the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits and Related Summits in Vientiane, Lao PDR.

Araneta-Marcos, on her official Instagram account, shared her photo with the ABAC Philippines and KALAP.

“It was nice sharing a meal with the members of ASEAN Business Advisory Council Philippines and the Kapatid Angat Lahat Program,” she said.

“Their dedication to assisting Filipino entrepreneurs and their support for our Lab for All program truly make them invaluable partners in nation-building,” Araneta-Marcos added.

The ASEAN-BAC was established by the ASEAN heads of state and government at the 7th ASEAN Summit in November 2001 in Brunei Darussalam, with a mandate to provide partner sector feedback and guidance to boost ASEAN’s efforts toward economic integration.

First introduced in 2016, KALAP is a public-private sector partnership initiative that aims to promote inclusive economic growth using Go Negosyo’s framework of providing micro, small, and medium enterprises access to money, markets, and mentoring.

The First Lady accompanied President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. who is participating in the four-day 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits and Related Summits which formally opened on Wednesday morning. (PNA)