Marcos skipping APEC meet in Peru

MANILA, Philippines —   President Marcos is skipping the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Peru this month to prioritize local concerns such as addressing the impact of recent disasters, Malacañang said.

Marcos appointed acting Trade Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque as his special envoy to the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week, which will be held from Nov. 10 to 16 in Lima.

“The designation of Secretary Roque confirms that the President is not attending,” Presidential Communications Secretary Cesar Chavez said in a chance interview yesterday.

In a text message, Chavez said the President would prioritize domestic concerns, “including government responses to calamities.”

It will be Marcos’ first time to skip the APEC summit, which gathers leaders and officials from 21 member economies every year. The Philippines is one of 12 founding members of the forum in 1989.

Roque, who was named acting trade chief last August, will serve as the President’s special envoy to the APEC leaders’ meeting in a concurrent capacity.

This year’s APEC summit is about consolidating a new approach to the forum’s economic cooperation agenda in the face of unprecedented challenges, according to the event’s official website.

The meeting, which carries the theme “Empower. Include. Grow,” will prioritize trade and investment for inclusive and interconnected growth, innovation and digitalization to promote transition to the formal and global economy and sustainable growth for resilient development.

Roque’s designation as the President’s special envoy to APEC was one of the new appointments announced by the PCO yesterday.

Other new appointees include Noel Servigon, who was named ambassador to Bulgaria and Moldova in addition to being envoy to Romania; Benjamin Turgano, acting president and chief executive officer of the Natural Resources Department Corp.; Romeo dela Cruz, defense assistant secretary; Christine Cari, tourism assistant secretary; Joseph Alcazar, president of the Clark International Airport Corp.; Roberton Lapuz and Rodolfo Tor, deputy directors general of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency.