United Asean top agenda in Rody’s state visits

MANILA, Philippines - President Duterte will seek an opportunity to promote a more united Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) during his scheduled state visits to Cambodia and Singapore next week.

With the Philippines hosting next year’s ASEAN summit, Presidential Communications Office Assistant Secretary Ana Marie Banaag said it is expected that Duterte would push for a one-ASEAN agenda.

“Of course on the part of the Philippines, the President will assume the chairmanship of the ASEAN for next year. That’s why the President has to sit down, attend meetings, bilateral meetings with other countries for the ASEAN next year,” she said over state-run Radyo ng Bayan.

Duterte will go to Cambodia for a state visit on Dec. 13 and 14, upon the invitation of King Norodom Sihamoni.

The President and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen are scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting, likely on defense and security relations, bilateral trade, protection of Filipino-Cambodian migrant workers and cultural and tourism cooperation, among others.

From Cambodia, Duterte will proceed to Singapore for a state visit from Dec. 15 to 16 upon the invitation of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

The two leaders are expected to discuss ways to further increase two-way trade and investments, as well as strengthen defense and security cooperation, especially on counter-terrorism and the war on drugs.

He is also expected to raise issues concerning the welfare of Filipinos living and working in Singapore.

Duterte’s Singapore visit comes 22 years after he led Davao City hall employees as mayor in protesting the city state’s execution of Filipina worker Flor Contemplacion in 1995.

A Singapore court convicted Contemplacion and sentenced her to death for the murder of fellow Filipina Delia Maga and the latter’s three-year-old Singaporean ward.

The Palace expressed optimism Duterte’s state visits would be fruitful in terms of investments and trade as well as people-to-people interactions.

“Everytime that the President goes out of the country, he really... it’s like, he really wants to come back home bringing good news,” Banaag said. – With Edith Regalado