Marcos unsure of attending World Economic Forum in January

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 14) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he has not yet decided if he will accept the invitation to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Switzerland in January.

The chief executive cited what would be nearly back-to-back foreign trips if he participates in the forum to be held in Davos town from Jan. 16 to 20 next year.

“I am undecided yet. It’s travelling too much,” he said in a press briefing on Sunday before leaving Cambodia. “That’s already the end of January. I’m going to China on the third… So I haven’t decided. We’ll see.”

Marcos also said his attendance would largely depend on the country’s preparedness for more foreign investors.

“The real decision there is really going to be, if we are going to ask people to come to the Philippines, who are going to invest in the Philippines, are we ready for them?” he said.

“So papunta ko doon sa Davos tapos sasabihin mo ‘pero hindi, huwag muna ngayon, next year pa,’ ‘di ba? Ba’t pa natin gagawin? So ‘yun ang – that’s really the determining factor,” he continued.

[Translation: So, if I’m going to Davos, and then you’ll say, ‘But no, not yet now but next year,’ then why are we going? So that’s really the determining factor.]

WEF founder and executive chairman Klaus Schwab extended the invite to Marcos on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Cambodia which ended on Sunday.

Marcos said besides the one from China, he has accepted “several” other state visit invitations, including from Vietnam, Brunei, and Thailand.

“Vietnam, Brunei. Actually, lahat invited (me)...‘Yung iba Thailand. First nila ako makilala, so they’ve all invited me. Sabi ko sige, basta ako naman wala akong hinihindian. Sinasabi ko lang ‘yung mag-schedule tayo kung kalian libre tayo pareho. That’s down the road,” he said.

[Translation: Vietnam, Brunei. Actually, all invited me…Another is Thailand. It’s their first time meeting me, so they’ve all invited me. I said I will not turn down any invitation as long as we find some common free time.”

The President added he will likely start honoring the invitations next year.