MANILA -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s participation in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit has been successful so far, with the chief executive leading the Philippine delegation in tackling trade and investment opportunities while seeking to realize mutual prosperity.
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary Eric Tamayo made this remark Friday in a press briefing on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in Bangkok.
"We certainly expressed support for Thailand's hosting and for Thailand's priorities. And most of the statements coming from the leaders actually align and parallel [with] the President's pronouncements as well," said Tamayo.
Thailand has put forward the "Bangkok Goals on BCG Economy" as a vital deliverable under the APEC 2022's priority areas to accelerate APEC's efforts towards sustainability.
"Our people are hard at work in finalizing a Joint Ministerial Statement and also working on the Leaders' Declaration. Not to mention also a Priority Statement on the Bangkok Goals of the Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) Economy model," Tamayo pointed out.
According to Tamayo, this particular declaration is "something unique for APEC and for outcomes of APEC Economic Leaders if we compare to previous declarations."
"This is indeed a separate undertaking by the leaders and underscores the importance of having a collaborative platform on climate change action, including on net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, facilitating sustainable trade and investment, sustainable management of resources, the conservation of the environment and biodiversity, and resource efficiency, and sustainable waste management," said Tamayo.
In his intervention at the 29th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting (AELM) Retreat Session, President Marcos said the model is aligned with his administration's agenda to create green and quality jobs.
"The Philippines welcomes and supports the adoption of the Bangkok Goals on the Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) Economy, which is a concrete initiative that will lead the Asia-Pacific region towards a sustainable future," said the President.
"The path to a progressive, sustainable development for our countries is becoming clearer and clearer by the day. It is up to us now to begin that journey," Marcos pointed out. (PND)
