President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has been invited to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Switzerland in January 2023, Malacañang announced on Saturday.
The invitation was extended to Marcos by WEF founder and executive chairperson Klaus Schwab during a breakfast meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Saturday, Undersecretary Cheloy Garafil, Officer-in-Charge of the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) said.
“World Economic Forum founder and executive chairman Klaus Schwab today invited President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to the WEF in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 16 to 20, 2023. Schwab made the invitation in a breakfast meeting with President Marcos,” Garafil said in a statement.
Schwab lauded Marcos for the seemingly strong Philippine economy despite the prevailing coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic and global challenges.
He then asked Marcos to attend the WEF and encourage more business leaders to invest in the country.
“Schwab told Marcos his attendance to the WEF serves as a good opportunity to let the global business community know about the dynamism and positive developments happening in the Philippines in a bid to attract more investors,” Garafil said.
Speaker Martin Romualdez, who joined Marcos in the meeting with WEF chief executive, urged the President not to miss the meeting in Davos next year.
Romualdez, who was instrumental in arranging the meeting amid the busy schedule of the President at the ASEAN summit in Cambodia, said the annual meet would give the country the opportunity to relate to the international economic leaders that the Philippines is open for business under a new and popular leader.
“It might be a good time to herald to the whole world that the Philippines, with a very new and very popular leader, and with very competent and experienced economic managers is open for business,” Romualdez said.
Established in 1971, WEF serves as an international organization for public-private cooperation.
The annual WEF convenes leaders from government, business, and civil society to address the state of the world and discuss priorities for the year ahead.
On Friday, Garafil also announced that Marcos will be embarking on a state visit to China during the first week of January next year after accepting the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Marcos is currently in Cambodia for the 40th and 41st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Summits.
On the sidelines of the ASEAN meetings on Thursday, Marcos held a roundtable discussion with Cambodian business leaders to encourage them to invest in the country. (PNA)
