MANILA — Climate change was the prime concern that touched all discussions in the 29th economic leaders’ meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Thailand, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Saturday night upon his return to the Philippines.

Marcos arrived home before 11 p.m. with the Philippine delegation that included First Lady Liza Marcos, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, and some Cabinet members.

Vice President Sara Duterte and other officials welcomed him at Villamor Airbase, where Marcos delivered his remarks summarizing the highlights of his 4-day trip.

Marcos said climate change issues were the “overarching subject” in the APEC sessions.

“Every discussion that we had—you can talk about the economy, you can talk about geopolitics, you can talk about anything…You talk about fisheries, you talk about governance, you talk about anything—And the subject of climate change will make itself felt,” Marcos said.

“And so again, this is something that we all seem to have realized and we have come together to try to mitigate.”

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Marcos added there is going to be a push by Asia Pacific countries to enforce agreements already in place on addressing climate change.

“Since we are essentially the developed countries that have not—cannot be said to have put the world in this situation, it is also up to us to go to those developed countries who have the, had their development, but unfortunately had–-without our… Because we were ignorant of such things --- they ended up changing the weather in the world,” he said.

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Aside from climate, such topics as supply chains, food supply, digitalization, and women empowerment were also tackled during the meetings, said Marcos.

The president found the meetings “very encouraging” because the problems identified by most countries were similar.

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“It was a very useful and productive process because as I said, we have now a way forward for all of us members of APEC,” he said.

“The ultimate aspiration is for the APEC region, Asia Pacific region to return to its old role as a a driver of the global economy. And if we do all of the things that we are planning to do, that will come back again. And we once again will be at the forefront of the global economy.”

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’THEY NOW KNOW ME’

Marcos’ first APEC meeting also provided opportunities for him to hold bilateral talks some leaders on the sidelines.

For the president, the outcome of these one-on-ones in Bangkok underscored the necessity of his attendance in the gathering.

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“In a sense, one of the most important things at least for me—the reason I thought that I must attend these conferences is one, that I know now—I have spoken to, I have discussed many issues with all the leaders of our region, of the Asia Pacific,” he said.

“They now know me and they know what I’m about—we have discussed—they know what the Philippine position is on several issues.”

Among the “tangible” results of these meetings, he said, was Saudi Arabia’s agreement to pay the unclaimed salaries of overseas Filipinos who lost their jobs during the pandemic.

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Aside from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Marcos also met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Chinese President Xi Jinping, French President Emmanuel Macron, and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Marcos said some of his other bilateral meetings were with private corporations wanting to invest in the Philippines.

He described his meet-and-greet with the Filipino community in Bangkok as “a breath of fresh air” to cap his meetings with APEC leaders.

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The 21-country APEC constitutes around half of global trade and 60 percent of the world economy.

Aside from the Philippines, its members are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.

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