Busan: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday assured overseas Filipinos that his administration is working to make government services more accessible to them wherever they are in the world. 'My fellow Filipinos, I want to assure you, hindi namin kayo nakakalimutan (we have not forgotten you),' Marcos told a cheering crowd of overseas Filipinos during a gathering at the Grand Wyndham Busan ahead of his participation at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit. 'We are working hard to make sure that government services reach you, all the way here in Korea or wherever you are.'

According to Philippines News Agency, the President announced that the Philippines will soon open a Consulate General in Busan, the country's second in South Korea after the embassy in Seoul, to bring essential consular services closer to Filipinos in the southern part of the peninsula. 'Sa susunod na taon ay magbubukas na ang Philippine Consulate General dito (Next year, we will open our new Consulate here in Busan),' he said. 'Soon, you will no longer need to travel all the way to Seoul to renew your passports, to submit civil registry documents, and to legalize your documents for use in the Philippines.'

Marcos also confirmed the opening of a Social Security System office inside the Philippine Embassy in Seoul to streamline access to benefits and claims. The President was joined by First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and members of his Cabinet, including Trade Secretary Maria Cristina Roque, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac, and Special Assistant to the President for Investments and Economic Affairs Secretary Frederick Go.

The event came on the eve of the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Gyeongju, where Marcos is expected to promote economic initiatives that create sustainable jobs and protect migrant workers through global cooperation. The President emphasized the government's long-term goal to make overseas work a matter of choice and not a necessity, as the Philippines builds a stronger economy.