One of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s special envoys to China has resurfaced after months of being out of the public eye as tensions remain high between Manila and Beijing.
A Babbler shared a photo of Benito Techico having lunch with Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and Marcos’ brother-in-law, Greggy Araneta. They reportedly met this month in Malacañang.
Techico, the president and CEO of pharmaceuticals firm Philippine Blue Cross Biotech Corp., was appointed as a presidential envoy in February 2023 but has reportedly been missing in most of the Cabinet meetings.
He and fellow envoy Maynard Ngu of Cherry Mobile have been tasked to work on boosting trade investments, and tourism with China. The two reportedly stayed often at the Ritz Carlton or at St. Regis in Beijing.
Marcos recently announced that the Philippine government will be stricter in implementing rules regarding the entry of Chinese nationals in the country amid reports of their involvement in crime and other illegal activities.
