Duterte gets a little help from ASEAN friend

BUSAN – Call it bilateral cooperation.

President Duterte got a little help from one of his regional leader-friends when he had a little difficulty completing a ceremonial task on the sidelines of the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit here.

The task involved each regional leader placing a figure of a star on a designated space on a panel to symbolize support for startups that contribute to regional economy.

Duterte, however, had some difficulty putting his star in place, causing Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to help him. After a few seconds, the two leaders were able to put the Philippines’ star on the designated spot.

The 74-year-old Duterte was also present during a special exhibition where he and other leaders were given a demonstration of Korean technology and were treated to servings of strawberries produced by South Korean farmers.

Duterte’s partner Cielito Avanceña, meanwhile, joined the spouses of other leaders at a beauty festival at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center.

An inverted Philippine flag was displayed during the welcome dinner for leaders and spouses hosted by South Korea President Moon Jae-in.

A group photo released by Malacañang showed an inverted Philippine flag alongside the flags of other ASEAN member-states in the background.

An inverted Philippine flag, wherein the red band is on top instead of the blue one, signifies that the country is at war.

Malacañang and the organizers of the summit have not issued a statement on the matter as of press time.