MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. over the weekend thanked Filipinos in the US for helping the Philippines through various crises and invited them to come home to visit and invest in the country.
Personal remittances to the Philippines this year was at $3.13 billion as of June, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. The bulk of that — 41.1 percent — was sent from the US.
"[On] behalf of our countrymen back home, I appreciate the remittances that you have sent and continue to send," Marcos told the Filipino community in Los Angeles, California on Saturday according to a release.
He noted that personal remittances rose by 2.2 percent in 2023 and that it continues to increase yearly.
"[Y]ou have helped our country and people weather some of the most difficult global and regional financial and economic" crises, the president said, further describing their contributions as "invaluable."
Visit and invest
He also told the Filipino community in California to encourage their families and friends "to visit and invest in the Philippines," saying "it is the best time to visit the country, especially for those who have not been to the Philippines for a long time."
He also asked them to "[c]ontinue being the ambassadors that you have been for our Filipino culture and relentless champions of the Philippines as a tourism, trade, and investment destination in Asia."
Marcos also assured the Filipino community that the country continues to monitor reports of hate crimes committed against some members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
The US is home to some 4.4 million Filipinos, with the majority residing in Southern California.
Marcos is in Los Angeles, California — the second stop on his continuing 6-day visit to the United States.
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