President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Indonesian investors are “very enthusiastic” about making investments in the Philippines, according to a statement issued by the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) on Tuesday.
“Very enthusiastic naman ang mga ministers ni President [Joko] Widodo, ‘yung mga prospects dito sa atin sa Pilipinas, and marami silang nakikitang mga opportunities. So we will pursue that,” he was quoted as saying in a media interview.
The first international trip Marcos has taken since assuming office in June was“more productive than we had expected,” the Chief Executive added.
He further said Indonesian President Joko Widodo gave him a tour of a mall that acts as a one-stop shop for all local goods and supports micro, small, and medium-sized businesses.
“And last night suddenly he invited us to see – to go to a mall. Bago nung dinner namin, pinuntahan namin ‘yung mall. ‘Yun pala, ‘yung mall na pinakita sa amin, gobyerno ang may-ari at saka ang produktong pinagbibili doon sa loob ng mall, lahat local, lahat MSMEs, lahat maliliit. Pagka masyado nang lumaki, hindi na sila pwede doon sa mall. Lilipat sila doon sa regular na mall,” he emphasized.
Marcos said that both of them had agreed to provide a hand in enhancing marketing strategy and business plans.
“And nag-agree na naman kami. Sabi niya, oo, kailangan natin turuan ‘yung packaging, ‘yung market, kung ano ‘yung hinahanap sa merkado, how do you business plan, ‘yung mga ganung klaseng bagay. Pareho sa atin,” he stressed.
Marcos said the Philippines’ long-standing relationship with its close neighbor, Indonesia, has served as the “primary foundation” of all the deals and agreements that seek to enhance each other’s commitments in a wide array of areas.
“Ang maganda nito, Jakarta, Indonesia long-standing – 73 years na tayong mag-partner ng Indonesia. So meron talaga tayong pundasyon na maganda na we can build on for – to develop all of these,” he added.
OPS reported that during Marcos’ official visit to Indonesia on Monday, four agreements related to the economy, cultural relations, and defense were signed.
While “we face the difficulties in this very volatile time in geopolitics, not only in our region, but also in the rest of the world,” it continued, the two leaders spoke “at length” about the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ role.
Marcos left Indonesia on Tuesday morning for Singapore, where he will meet separately with the leaders of that country — President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong — to strengthen and advance their bilateral relations.
Photo Credit: Facebook/BongbongMarcos