President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. left Sunday morning for a one-week working visit to the United States where he will speak before the United Nations General Assembly, meet several world leaders for bilaterals and appear before business groups.

Among the world leaders Marcos will meet is Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yacob, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez said Friday.

Romualdez did not say when the bilateral meetings will be held. He added that a meeting between Marcos and US President Joe Biden is still being arranged.

Vice President Sara Duterte will be the country's caretaker, said Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles. It was not known who will temporarily assume the post of executive secretary after Vic Rodriguez tendered his resignation on Saturday.

Marcos is also eyeing to forge more public-private partnerships (PPP) to help the country recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his pre-departure speech in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 Sunday, Marcos said accompanying his delegation are business leader.

"I will also participate in business activities to forge more partnership to advance our national economic and sustainable development agenda," Marcos said.

"I will be joined in these meetings by key private sector representatives, who have been and will continue to be our partners in this endeavor. More vibrant PPPs will allow us to achieve the better normal we all aspire for," he added.

Marcos will be meeting with the US Chamber of Commerce and the US-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nation) Business Council.

Marcos will be in the US from Sept. 18 to 24 to attend the 77th United Nations General Assembly with more than 150 other heads of state. It is the first face-to-face meeting of leaders since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

He is scheduled to deliver his speech on Tuesday, where it will focus on "people-centric development" and the government's thrust in economic recovery, food security and agricultural productivity. DMS