MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Wednesday hailed the Filipino community in San Francisco, United States for serving as role models and contributing to the country's good image abroad.

During his meet and greet with Filipinos at the South San Francisco Conference Center, Marcos noted Pinoy nurses' contributions especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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One in every 5 nurses in the West Coast was trained in the Philippines, he said.

Filipino nurses, doctors, and first responders "have all demonstrated the timeless Filipino virtues of malasakit, pakikipagkapwa, at bayanihan," Marcos said.

"Americans experienced first-hand the Filipino way of caring and acting on the needs of others," said the President.

"We are all grateful for your selfless service to humanity, and we look up to you as role models for future generations of Filipinos and Filipino Americans," he added. "Dahil sa inyo, napakasarap at napakadali at napakatotoo na maisigaw: Proud to be a Pinoy."

Marcos noted that some Filipino-Americans are elected officials in the US, including South San Francisco Mayor Flor Nicolas who attended the event.

He also cited Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes and California Attorney General Rob Bonta who are of Filipino descent.

"Dahan-dahan talaga nararamdaman natin ang Filipino community sa lahat, in all walks of life," Marcos said.

"Biro nga, lahat ng makausap ko na mga leader, mga pangulo, mga prime minister, lagi nilang sinasabi, kahit saan kami pumunta ay mayroon kaming nakikitang Pilipino. Iyon ang hinahanap namin dahil sila ang magaling magtrabaho, dahil sila ang masisipag, sila ang maaasahan," he added.

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Marcos also commended the "rising number of Filipino Americans in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley, now active as partners in Philippine development and nation-building, sharing their expertise, their, experience, their resources with up-and-coming Filipino startups and innovators."

There are some 4 million Filipinos and Filipino-Americans in the US, including 1.3 million who are under the jurisdiction of the San Francisco consul-general, according to the President.

Around 700,000 Pinoys work in the San Francisco Bay Area, he said.

In 2022, overseas Filipino workers in the US sent home $14.89 billion to the Philippines through cash remittances, making it the country's "biggest single source of remittances," said Marcos.

"Talagang ramdam namin sa Pilipinas kahit hindi tayo nagsasama nang madalas, ramdam na ramdam namin ang inyong pagmamahal. Hindi lamang sa inyong mga pamilya, kung hindi sa inyong bansa, at sa inyong mga kababayan," he said.

Marcos is in San Francisco, California for a weeklong participation at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and visits to Hawaii and Los Angeles.

He will be in the US state from Nov. 15 to 17, 2023 to raise issues on clean energy, innovation, and digitalization. His visit to Hawaii and Los Angeles state are scheduled on Nov. 18 to 19.

"By the end of the four-day visit to San Francisco, we hope to have witnessed the signing of agreements with various American businesses in the fields of digital infrastructure and connectivity, renewable energy, electronics manufacturing, health, and tourism, among others," he said.

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