President Duterte to meet with top business leaders, CEOS

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte will meet with business leaders and chief executive officers during separate sessions at the World Economic Forum (WEF) for Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) 2017. (Photo: ROLANDO MAILO/Presidential Photo)

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia—President Rodrigo Roa Duterte will meet with business leaders and chief executive officers during separate sessions at the World Economic Forum (WEF) for Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) 2017.

“What is in it for the Philippines? He will be meeting with the top business leaders in one session as well as with the top 50 CEOs in another session,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Manuel Teehankee told reporters in an interview here on Wednesday, May 10, 2017.

There will be a separate session where President Duterte, together with other heads of state, will exchange ideas on economic development, improving technology, and addressing youth concerns with a group of 25 business leaders.

President Duterte and other heads of state and ministers will also discuss in another session, with 30 regional stakeholders group, ideas on suggestions for improving good governance and economic ideas.

According to Teehankee, the two-day regional conference will also provide the Philippines the opportunity to showcase the advance of the ASEAN during its 50th year.

The Foreign Affairs official said it will also be the international launch of the Build, Build, Build program and DuterteNomics.

He said Cabinet officials will explain how the national budget-funded infrastructure program will take place in partnership and providing opportunities to the private sector.

Asked on the selling point of DuterteNomics for the international leaders, Teenhankee said the ASEAN master plan includes improving connectivity or infrastructure and logistics connectivity throughout the ASEAN region.

“This complements very well with the President’s 10-point socioeconomic agenda, as well as the federal regionalism and sub-economic regions program in the Philippines, which is also to improve connectivity through logistics improvement and infrastructure improvement,” he said.

Teehankee said Duterte will also showcase the “very important connectivity launch” two weeks ago or the Davao-General Santos-Bitung Ro-Ro Shipping Network.

The Foreign Affairs official also noted that WEF is a top-level forum that allows close interaction among business leaders and government leaders.

He said the forum also promotes a dialogue towards improving the world economy and developing a better world for all citizens.