Marcos gets ‘rockstar’ treatment

Speaker Martin Romualdez on Sunday said everywhere President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. goes, he commands respect and attention.

“Like a rockstar,” Romualdez describes how the Chief Executive was warmly received by regional leaders.

Romualdez was part of the President’s delegation that attended the recent Asean Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

He said Marcos’ schedule has been impossible to keep, owing to invitations he has been receiving.

One such invitation came from Chinese President Xi Jinping in January.

Marcos was also invited to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland also in January.

The WEF is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas.

Here, Romualdez said, is where the rubber meets the road:

“We in government intend to build on our 7.6 percent economic growth in the third quarter based on our gross domestic product. The President will strive to turn these interactions on the international stage into tangible benefits that can trickle down into every Filipino home.”

BBM backs Korean action

Meanwhile, Marcos has expressed his support for the denuclearization efforts by the government of South Korea in the Korean Peninsula, adding that the Philippines is willing to help to the best of its abilities.

“This is of great concern and we are fully supportive of the Republic of Korea in all your efforts to denuclearize North Korea,” Marcos said during a bilateral meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Sokha Hotel at the sidelines of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summit and Related Summits.

“The Philippines is one with you on that and we will do what we can to assist South Korea in that effort,” the President said.

Marcos earlier condemned the missile launches of North Korea, including a suspected failed intercontinental ballistic missile.

In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs denounced the move by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, adding that it would “further increase tension and undermine peace and stability in an already volatile region.”

“The Philippines calls on all parties to exercise utmost restraint,” it said.

“It also calls on the DPRK to comply with its obligations under the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions and to commit to the process of constructive and peaceful dialogue with the Republic of Korea,” it added.