Marcos hopes Filipinos in US...

“Let them see for themselves what the Philippines is about, what is our culture, what is our history. I’m sure the first and second and third generation Filipino-Americans are more than happy to learn about their proud Philippine ancestry,” Marcos said.

He also thanked overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) for their significant contributions to the growth of the economy through remittances and credited them for “keeping the Philippines afloat” during the pandemic.

“Noong pandemya ay ang bumuhay talaga sa ekonomiya ng Pilipinas ay ang mga OFW. Kung hindi po sa inyo ay siguro mas nahirapan po na makabangon ang Pilipinas, kaya’t ulit maraming, maraming salamat sa inyo,” he said.

(During the pandemic, the lifeblood of the Philippine economy was the OFWs. If it were not for you, we would have suffered more, and it would have been more difficult to recover.)

The chief executive also mentioned his recent meeting with U.S. President Joseph Biden, whom he thanked for accommodating Filipinos and providing opportunities for them to thrive.

“Kasama ko po ang ating mga miyembro ng Gabinete upang ipagtibay ang ating pagkakaibigan sa Amerika, United States at saka ng Pilipinas… Malaking bahagi doon sa usapan namin ay nagpasalamat naman ako sa kanila dahil sa dami ng Pilipino na nandito sa Amerika, na nandito sa U.S. ay lahat naman naging maganda ang buhay at… tinanggap kaagad ng ating mga kaibigang taga-U.S.,” the president said.

(I am with Cabinet members to further strengthen the alliance of the U.S. and the Philippines. A big part of our discussion was my thankfulness to the U.S. because they allowed Filipinos to live here and have a good life.)

“Kaya naman nagkaroon kayo ng magandang hanapbuhay. Nagkaroon kayo ng magandang pagkakataon para tulungan ang inyong mga pamilya, para tulungan ang inyong mga community, para tulungan ang inyong bansa sa Pilipinas,” the president added.

(That’s why you had an opportunity to help your families and communities, as well as the Philippines.)

Marcos reassured OFWs of the government’s sustained efforts to make the Philippines better and vowed to boost the quality of jobs so that time will come when Filipinos would no longer have to go abroad out of necessity. n

Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Level 2 travel health notice on May 1 after “several regions” reported an increase in the number of people infected with the disease. “Vaccination is essential to protect against diphtheria and anyone traveling to affected areas should be up to date with their diphtheria vaccines,” the embassy said.

It also advised U.S. citizens in the country to “avoid contact with persons with symptoms of diphtheria” particularly fever and sore throat.

Diphtheria is “a serious infection caused by strains of bacteria called Corynebacterium diphtheriae that make toxins. It can lead to difficulty breathing, heart rhythm problems, and even death,” according to the CDC website. It recommends “vaccines for infants, children, teens, and adults to prevent diphtheria.” n