Marcos said the request made by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was not new, as this was the appeal of almost every world leader he met.

Marcos said he might return to the UK to discuss more about airport reforms.

Marcos was in the UK for a day for King Charles III's coronation.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said that the United Kingdom had asked him if the Philippines could send more health workers to the Kingdom, citing their invaluable contribution to the fight against Covid-19.

Marcos said this in an interview with members of the Philippine media on the sidelines of the 42nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit here on Tuesday evening, May 9.

According to the President, the request made by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was not new, as this was the appeal of almost every world leader he met.

"Nagpapasalamat siya sa magandang trabaho ng mga Pilipino’t Pilipina doon sa NHS (National Health Service) noong pandemic at kung puwede ba nating dagdagan. Laging may kasunod na ganyan (He was thankful for the Filipinos' work at the NHS during the pandemic and asked if we could send more. It's always followed by that)," he said.

"This is the same thing that comes up every time I meet with leaders," he added.

In addition, Marcos said he also discussed politics with the newly elected Prime Minister.

"I was commenting that, at least, with his election as leader and now Prime Minister, well magkaroon ng kaunting stability in the UK because medyo magulo, eh (the UK would have more stability because now it seems unstable)," he said.

President Marcos once said that the Philippines had become a victim of its own success, citing the emigration of Filipino nurses and doctors to seek better job opportunities abroad.

Return to the UK

Meanwhile, President Marcos said he might return to the UK for a "proper visit" as discussions were short during his recent visit.

The Chief Executive, in particular, cited his meetings with executives of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), the company behind Gatwick Airport's exceptional infrastructure, technology, and operations.

Marcos said a British Trade representative reported to Prime Minister Sunak about GIP's proposal, something that he did not disclose during the interview.

"Sabi niya (Trade representative), 'Sana matuloy natin (He said he hoped that we could continue discussing), let's talk about it. And we won't be able to do it now because we had maybe seven minutes, six minutes,'" Marcos said, quoting the Trade representative.

"'We can't do it now, but we'll do a proper trip for you to come to the UK, and we'll talk about it soon,' That's where we ended," he added.

Before going to Indonesia, Marcos was in the UK for King Charles III's coronation. Prior to that, he made a four-day official visit to Washington, DC.

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by ARGYLL CYRUS GEDUCOS

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