PBBM, ex-UK PM Blair tackle ‘best’ governance practices

President Ferdinand R. Marcos welcomed former United Kingdom prime minister and Institute for Global Change executive chairman Tony Blair in a courtesy call on October 24. (Photo: Office of the President/Facebook)

MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos and former United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Anthony Charles Lynton Blair discussed on Tuesday the “best practices” to make government effective and efficient.

This, after Blair paid a courtesy call on Marcos at Malacañan Palace in Manila.

“President Ferdinand R. Marcos welcomed former United Kingdom prime minister and Institute for Global Change executive chairman Tony Blair in a courtesy call today, October 24,” the Office of the President (OP) said in a Facebook post.

“PBBM and Blair discussed a wide range of topics on bureaucracy and governance based on the best practices in developed countries,” it added.

The OP also shared several photos taken during Marcos’ meeting with Blair.

The meeting was also attended by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo, Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Hubert Guevara, and presidential son Ilocos Norte First District Rep. Sandro Marcos, the OP said.

Marcos and Blair first met in New York City in September this year.

During their first meeting, the two talked about the peace-building initiatives in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

They also tackled ways to ensure food security, address climate change and boost trade.

Blair currently serves as executive chairperson of the Tony Blair Institute For Global Change, a non-profit organization that provides support to political leaders and governments to build open, inclusive and prosperous societies in a globalized world.

Meeting with WHO chief

Meantime, Marcos also had a meeting with World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Marcos, on his official Facebook page, shared a photo and a short video clip of his meeting with Ghebreyesus.

Malacañang has yet to provide further details about the meeting between Marcos and Ghebreyesus.

During the meeting, Marcos congratulated Ghebreyesus on his reelection as head of WHO, the OP said in a separate Facebook post.

Marcos, the OP said, also expressed his deep gratitude for the assistance provided by WHO to many developing nations “during the most difficult phases of the pandemic.”

The meeting came, as the Marcos administration sought to further relax the travel restrictions in the country despite the prevailing coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic to propel economic growth.

In a Palace press briefing, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco announced that Marcos will be signing an executive order allowing the voluntary use of face masks in indoor settings, except in public transportation, medical transportation, and medical facilities.

Marcos, Frasco added, also agreed to remove reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing as a pre-departure requirement and allow travelers to get their eArrival card upon their arrival in the country.

In September, Ghebreyesus said the end of Covid-19 pandemic is “in sight.”