MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr left on Tuesday evening for a 6-day visit to the United States, upon the invitation of US President Joe Biden.

He is set the attend the Leaders’ Summit of the 30th Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in San Francisco, California on Nov. 15-17, which is said to be the culmination of the year-long chairmanship and hosting by the United States.

In his departure speech at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City, Marcos said that he is honored to represent the country in the “region’s most important platform for trade, investment, and economic cooperation.”

The Philippines is a founding member of APEC, which was established in 1989.

The APEC region, Marcos noted, hosts 38 percent of the world’s population, 48 percent of its trade and 62 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP).

Moreover, 85 percent of the country’s trade and top investors are from the APEC region, Marcos added.

This year’s theme, “Creating a Sustainable and Resilient Future for All,” is notably aligned with the country’s national and economic interest “to transform the Philippines toward a sustainable future,” the President said.

“We will be engaging with the leaders of economies of the Asia-Pacific region to agree on how we can achieve food and energy security, economic inclusion of our micro, small, and medium enterprises or MSMEs, women, indigenous people, and other segments whose economic potential remains to be unlocked through digitalization and innovation, and sustainable development and addressing the climate change crisis,” Marcos said.

“I will meet with business leaders and conduct roundtable discussions on the APEC sidelines to invite investments and seek business opportunities, promote our exports, and discuss our economic agenda,” he also added.

Marcos will also deliver keynote remarks at the APEC CEO Summit to share the country’s experience in “ensuring inclusivity on our path to greening the economy.”

He will also attend the meeting of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) where leaders and private sector representatives will discuss possible public-private partnerships in various fields.

Marcos is also expected to witness the signing of various government-to-government, public-private, and business agreements on the fields of “nuclear energy; artificial intelligence to support weather forecasting; health sciences, particularly cancer research, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention; pharmaceutical manufacturing; and satellite connectivity.”

“As with my previous visits, I expect to meet with American business leaders to further promote trade and investment opportunities in the Philippines,” Marcos said.

“My economic team and I will be joined by a high-profile business delegation in exploring new and expanding partnerships,” he added.

After the APEC Leaders’ Summit, President Marcos will visit Los Angeles, California and Honolulu, Hawaii where he is set to meet with business leaders and the Filipino community.

“I look forward to meeting our Filipino Communities in all three cities. California and Hawaii have the largest concentrations of Filipinos and Filipino-Americans, home to almost half of the 4.2 million Filipinos in the United States, who serve as the bedrock of our bilateral relations,” he said.

“Mga kababayan, since the start of my administration, we have not wavered in our promise of “not leaving anyone behind” and a resilient Philippines, where the fruits of our hard work are equitably shared by all,” he added.

This is the third visit of Pres. Marcos to the United States, following his working visit to Washington DC last May and his attendance to the United Nations General Assembly in September 2022.

Meanwhile, Vice President Sara Duterte will be the government’s caretaker, Communications Sec. Cheloy Garafil said.