PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr., along with Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo Pascual and other Cabinet officials, on May 3 met with the member companies of the United States Asean Business Council (USABC) and the United States Chamber of Commerce (USCC), including its executives and officials, for a business forum and roundtable discussion.

The USABC was represented by Ambassador Ted Osius, while Senior Vice President Charles Freeman stood as representative of the USCC. During the meeting, Marcos laid out his plans for economic recovery and expansion as well as other ongoing initiatives of his administration to create a healthier business environment in the Philippines in order to continue attracting US investments.

'We are particularly excited, and we look forward to welcoming projects such as business process outsourcing, health care, semiconductors, energy including nuclear power, and battery and electric vehicle manufacturing,' Pascual said.

Executives from several American companies attended the roundtable discussion to learn about government reforms and incentives under the Public Service Act, Foreign Investment Act, Retail Trade Liberalization, and the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act that would benefit them.

Among the American companies present in the forum were Akin Gump, ExxonMobil, Citi, IMB, Tenet Healthcare, FedEx, Kimberly-Clark and PepsiCo Inc.

Pascual recognized the long-standing relationship of the Philippines with the USABC and the USCC. He acknowledged the significant contribution of American companies that have invested in the Philippines for several decades.

'To the CEOs (chief executive officers) and executives we've met and talked to, thank you for the trust and confidence. Let me reiterate President Marcos' invitation for all of you to invest in the Philippines,' said Pascual.