INTRODUCTION
We are delighted to be in Honolulu on this my first visit to Hawaii as President of the Philippines.

From here, I will proceed to Cartagena, Colombia to attend the Eleventh Summit of the 112 member-nations of the non-aligned movement (NAM): the first such summit since the Philippines was admitted to the movement in 1992.

I will then fly to New York to join more than a hundred heads of state and government in commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations (U.N.).

In both Cartagena and New York, I will be meeting — bilaterally — with heads of state or government; and in the United States I will be holding discussions with business leaders, captains of industry, and heads of financial houses.

I will also be bringing to the American people — through the mass media and meetings with Filipino-American communities — the good news of my country’s economic recovery and restored political stability.
HONOLULU MORE THAN A STOPOVER
Our visit to Honolulu, however brief, is much more than just a stopover.

We have come for a family reunion with the community of Filipino-Americans in Hawaii: this is the oldest Filipino community in the United States. We were deeply touched by our encounter with thousands of them yesterday evening.

We take special pleasure in being welcomed by Governor Ben Cayetano — who traces his roots to my own home province of Pangasinan. We are also pleased to have met the other leading officials of the state — including Lieutenant Governor Mazie Hirono, Congressman Neil Abercrombie; and a number of Filipino-Americans who hold high office in this state.

Hawaii being the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Command, I had the benefit of a briefing on the security situation in the Asia-Pacific from Admiral Richard Macke, Commander-in-Chief Pacific, yesterday. I look forward to continuing visits by high American defense officials and military commanders to the Philippines.
EXCHANGE OF VIEWS AT THE EAST-WEST CENTER
I also had the opportunity of addressing the East-West Center — one of the few in the United States that has a Philippine-studies program. My inter-action with the professors, students and scholars at the center was most stimulating and rewarding.

At the University of Hawaii, I witnessed the signing of documents for an educational exchange program between the University of Hawaii and our own University of the Philippines.

We also had occasions to meet with leaders of the top corporations in the state — individually, at a roundtable conference, and at a business luncheon — to explore the possibilities of expanding trade, tourism and investment.

Our business delegation had intensive discussions on specific projects and activities in investments and technology exchange — in banking, telecommunications, energy, food processing, construction and horticulture.
CLOSING MESSAGE
We welcome Hawaii’s — and America’s — business wholeheartedly. The Philippine economy is now wide open; the business climate is bullish and the political environment is stable. In sum, the Philippines now means business.

I have high hopes and great expectations that our visit will result in substantive economic and commercial links between my country and this great state — to augment the bonds of kinship we already have.

Now let me take questions from the floor.