Palace: Blair says Marcos’ attendance in World Economic Forum sends a good signal

Former United Kingdom Prime Minister Tony Blair has said it is the best time for President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to be at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in order to showcase to the world the current Philippine situation while “building its stature,” Malaca?ang said on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Marcos and Blair met on the sidelines of the 2023 WEF in Davos, Switzerland. According to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), Blair said “the Philippines isn’t quite in good standing last year.”

“So to have somebody to come and articulate very clearly where the country is going, what it’s doing, I think it sends a good signal,” Blair said in a press release issued by the PCO.

The PCO said Marcos and Blair also tackled the Philippine Development Plan, which aims “to alleviate the people’s suffering as a result of the pandemic and as the country prepares for the opening of the global economy.”

In October last year, Blair paid a courtesy call on Marcos in Malaca?ang wherein they discussed a wide range of topics on bureaucracy and governance based on the best practices of developed countries.

They also met in the United States during Marcos’ working visit in New York. The two discussed the peace process in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao as well as other issues like food security, climate action, and trade.

Blair is the executive chairman of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. –KG, GMA Integrated News