Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. delivers his speech during the departure ceremony at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City as he embarks on a State Visit to the Republic of India from August 4 to 8, 2025.
Presidential Communications Office

Article (news)

MARCOS

Katrina Domingo

ABS-CBN News

<div><br/></div><p>BUSAN, South Korea — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrived in South Korea on Thursday ahead of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Summit, where he is expected to tout the Philippines’ preparedness to accommodate investors in the artificial intelligence and technology sector.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/10/27/marcos-says-free-trade-talks-with-south-korea-a-pushback-vs-protectionism-1407">Marcos says free trade talks with South Korea a ‘pushback’ vs global protectionism</a></div><p>Marcos Jr. landed in Busan — South Korea’s busiest port city — around 5 p.m. (4 p.m. Philippine time), and is expected to attend a gathering of Filipinos here a day before the annual gathering of APEC’s 21 member economy leaders.</p><p>“I intend to showcase the Philippines’ commitment to fostering economic partnerships and promoting a favorable business climate, aligned with our government’s vision of building a strong, innovation-driven economy,” the President said in his departure speech.</p><p>“We will highlight how we are pursuing digital transformation as a core pillar of our development, fully recognizing the potential of new technologies in unlocking a more prosperous and resilient future,” he added.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/8/10/flood-of-junk-how-ai-is-changing-scientific-publishing-1126">Flood of &#x27;junk&#x27;: How AI is changing scientific publishing</a></div><p>Marcos said that the Philippines is more than ready to welcome tech investors.</p><p>“I want to use this moment to reaffirm a core truth to the international business community: The Philippines is not merely ready. We are a reliable, forward-looking partner in the Asia-Pacific. Invest in the Filipino,” he said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>AI TO TAKE CENTER STAGE</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Artificial intelligence and digital transformation are expected to take center stage in this year’s summit as host country South Korea pushes for discussions on the how member economies can benefit from the shift to digitalization, and how the bloc can strengthen trade networks and supply chains despite protectionist policies, including the United States’ tariffs barriers.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/technology/2025/8/30/empowering-underprivileged-students-through-artificial-intelligence-2057">Empowering underprivileged students through artificial intelligence</a></div><p>Marcos Jr. is positioned to make the most out of this year’s APEC theme as his administration seeks to establish “an artificial intelligence-powered Philippines by 2028,” DFA spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Angelica Escalona said in an earlier press conference.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>‘GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY’ FOR THE PHILIPPINES</strong></div><p>Marcos Jr.’s attendance in the APEC 2025 would be “a golden opportunity” for the Philippines to be “the cyber hub for Southeast Asia,” said DICT Undersecretary Renato Paraiso, acting officer in charge of the Cybercrime Investigation Coordinating Center (CICC).</p><p>The President is expected to court investors from the tech sector as the Philippines has been “trying to catch up” with other Asian countries in the shift to artificial intelligence and digitalization, Paraiso told ANC’s Headstart.</p><p>“We really have a golden opportunity here to be the cyber hub for Southeast Asia because it is a fact that Singapore has already reached its capacity because of its limitation in land area,” he said.</p><p>“We have a large workforce, not only English-speaking workforce but really IT-literate workforce, which is a big draw for investors coming to the Philippines,” he said.</p><p>“If we can find a way to get and… find budget space for the infrastructure, there is no stopping the Philippines from being a powerhouse in the AI technology.”</p><p>The Philippines’ attendance in this year’s APEC Summit “is imperative” as the region “accounts for nearly 46 percent of global trade in goods and commercial services, and generates roughly 61 percent of the total global GDP,” Marcos Jr. said.</p><p>“This means that the growth and stability of this region are directly tied to the opportunities and welfare of all Filipinos,” he said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>MARCOS KEEPS CLOSE EYE ON TRUMP-XI MEETING</strong></div><p>Meantime, Marcos Jr. will have bilateral meetings with two world leaders, and deliver a speech at the APEC CEO Summit, where business leaders from the Asia-Pacific are expected to gather, the DFA earlier said, without disclosing names.</p><p>Marcos Jr. is neither expected to meet United States President Donald Trump nor Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of APEC as the Filipino leader would instead focus on “advancing the Philippines’ economic interests” and “forging deeper ties with APEC member economies,” the DFA said.</p><p>Despite this, the Philippines President said that he — along with other world leaders — will be closely watching Washington and Beijing’s meeting at the Gimhae Air Base in Busan, the same city where Marcos Jr. is slated to meet with Filipinos here.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/10/29/why-other-asean-countries-got-zero-us-tariffs-but-ph-got-19-percent-1958">Why other ASEAN countries got zero US tariffs but PH got 19 percent</a></div><p>“The world is watching because this is the source of the largest shock that has entered into the world trade system, and we have to see what the agreements will be coming out of these meetings between President Xi and President Trump,” the Marcos said.</p><p>“Those will certainly color everything that we will be talking about in this APEC because the agreements or the arrangements that are made between two of the largest economies of the world will certainly affect every single citizen of the world,” he added.</p><p>“That makes this APEC meeting a much different meeting from all the others that we have attended because on the sidelines are the decisions being made on how trade is going to be conducted, certainly at least between the two largest economies in the world, but with the ripple effect for entire global economy.”</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/22/trump-oks-only-1-cut-in-tariffs-on-ph-zero-tariffs-for-us-goods-in-ph-0258">Trump cuts tariffs on PH to 19%; Manila OKs zero tariffs on US-made cars</a></div><p>Marcos Jr.’s arrival in South Korea comes a few days after Washington granted tariff reductions for several Southeast Asian countries, but not including the Philippines.</p><p>Philippine officials have yet to say why Marcos Jr. — the leader of the United States’ oldest traditional ally in Asia — was not among the regional leaders scheduled to meet with Trump during the American President’s week-long tour in the continent.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_1qqr4oUNs8?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j2gpdXCDnm8?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>An official said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s attendance in the APEC 2025 would be “a golden opportunity” for the Philippines to be “the cyber hub for Southeast Asia."</p>

An official said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s attendance in the APEC 2025 would be “a golden opportunity” for the Philippines to be “the cyber hub for Southeast Asia."

Marcos Jr. arrives in South Korea to pitch ‘AI-powered’ PH in APEC 2025

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Marcos Jr. arrives in South Korea to pitch ‘AI-powered’ PH in APEC 2025

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Oct 30, 2025 04:15 PM PHT

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