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Asean leaders await Duterte
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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his first State of the Nation Address before the 17th Congress July 25 in suburban Quezon city, northeast of Manila, Philippines. (AP/Bullit Marquez)
P
hilippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s first foreign trip next month would surely be a big political and media event, Malacañang said on Sunday.
This early, several leaders from neighboring countries have expressed eagerness to meet with Duterte during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) meeting in Vientiane, Laos, according to Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar.
“We all know President Duterte is the most talked-about leader in Asean and around the world,” Andanar told government-owned dzRB radio.
Media mob
“We expect the international media companies to mob the President in Laos to talk to him,” he added.
Duterte’s weeklong trip would be his first abroad since winning the May 9 elections. He had previously said he would avoid frequent overseas travel during his six-year term due to his advanced age.
The 71-year-old chief executive will fly to Brunei for a working visit on September 4-5 before heading to the Asean summit in Laos on September 6-8.
Duterte will then go to Indonesia for a two-day working visit on September 8-9.
In an earlier interview, the president said he wanted to personally thank the royal government of Brunei for providing employment to thousands of Filipinos.
