Nagpahayag ng suporta ang Palasyo ng Malacañang sa naging desisyon ng Chile na kanselahin ang APEC Economic Leaders Meeting (AELM) na magaganap sana ngayong buwan.
Sa isang statement araw ng Biyernes, sinabi ni Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo na mahirap man ang desisyon para sa Chile ay mas ikinonsidera nito ang interes at kapakanan ng kanilang mga mamamayan sa gitna ng malawakang kilos-protesta.
“The Office of the President therefore expresses the country’s support for Chile as it made the hard decision of cancelling its hosting of the AELM, taking into consideration the interest and concerns of the Chilean people, as its country endured massive street protests that was propelled by a civil disobedience campaign over metro transit hikes,” ani Panelo.
Nagpasalamat din si Panelo sa Chile na tahanan ngayon ng halos 800 overseas Filipino workers.
“The Palace thanks Chile, which is currently the home to approximately 800 Filipinos, mostly women, for its hard work in advocating for inclusive and sustainable growth in the region such as by prioritizing women empowerment and promoting micro, small, and medium scale enterprises. We will continue to work to ensure our peoples enjoy the benefits of deeper regional economic integration,” ayon kay Panelo.
Magugunitang sumiklab ang kaliwa’t kanang demonstrasyon sa nasabing bansa dahil sa panukalang itaas ang pasahe sa public transportation.
Ayon kay Panelo, kinumpirma ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte ang pagdalo sa APEC Summit na dadaluhan ng mga lider sa Asia-Pacific Region.
Layon ng pagtitipon na talakayin ang trade at investment issues.
Kasama sa delegasyon ng pangulo sina Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. at Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez.
Kinilala ni Panelo ang kahalagahan ng APEC sa ekonomiya ng Pilipinas partikular ang pagtaguyod sa mga sektor ng kalakalan at turismo.
“In particular, they account for 84% of the total trade of the Philippines worldwide, 82% total exports worldwide, and 85% of its total imports. APEC economies likewise account for 64% of foreign direct investment into the Philippines, and 83% of tourist arrivals,” ani Panelo.
“It is also worth noting that 56% of Filipinos abroad call the APEC region their home, and our overseas Filipino workers in this region account for the 57% of the total annual remittances the we receive in the country. As such, there are 33 Philippine Government agencies engaged in the APEC process,” dagdag ng kalihim.