AQUINO LEAVES FOR HIS FIRST APEC
[PHOTO AT LEFT - First APEC. President Aquino left yesterday for a five-day trip to Japan and to attend the APEC summit in Yokohama. PHOTO BY JAY CHUA]
MANILA, NOVEMBER 12, 2010 (MALAYA) President Aquino yesterday left for Japan after promising to strengthen ties with Asia-Pacific countries and bring home more foreign investments during his five-day trip that would cost taxpayers P16.34 million.
Aquino left Manila's Centennial Terminal at past 3 p.m. on board Philippine Airlines flight PR 432 for Japan, where he will attend the 22nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Yokohama.
He said he will use his first time in the APEC summit to meet with other heads of economies such as Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Chilean President Sebastian Piñera, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Michael Somare, and Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who hosts the APEC meeting.
"Our participation in APEC is an opportunity to project the Philippines to the international community. We have not had this esteem in almost a decade. But now, we are out of darkness, it is daylight in the Philippines, and we have recovered our voice on the world stage. It is this spirit of optimism I wish to share, as your representative in APEC, in my interactions in this forum," he said in his departure speech.
"The Philippines is open for business – this is what we wish to convey to our partners in the Asia-Pacific, and to the rest of the world," he added.
Aquino said he will also meet with investors who see the Philippines as a potential hub. He is scheduled to meet with officials of Itochu Corp., which is investing $120 million for an ethanol plant in Isabela, Marubeni Corp. and Toshiba.
He said he will also meet with the Filipino community.
Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. said the P16.34 million budget for the Japan trip covers the accommodation, transportation, food and commercial airfares of Aquino's 51-man delegation.
The Cabinet officials who accompanied the President included Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Energy Secretary Rene Almendras, Presidential Management Staff head Julia Abad, and Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning head Ramon Carandang.
Aquino said his family holds Japan-Philippines ties dearly.
He said his late mother, former president Corazon Aquino, struck a wonderful friendship with Emperor Hirohito when she went on a state visit to Japan. He said Mrs. Aquino was invited to witness the ascension of Emperor Akihito.
"These personal ties redounded to closer, more dynamic relations between our people," he said.
On his way to the plane, Aquino failed to shake the hand of Vice President Jejomar Binay and Japanese Ambassador Makoto Katsura, who were waiting at the end of a military honor guard.
His protocol officer whispered that he missed Binay, who celebrated his birthday yesterday. Aquino, apparently realizing his mistake, backtracked and extended his right hand to Binay.
But he still missed Katsura, who was waiting for his turn to shake the President's hand. The ambassador left the airport with Binay. – Regina Bengco, Gerard Naval, Jay Chua
Aquino to impart "spirit of optimism" in APEC Summit in Japan November 11, 2010, 11:21pm
MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - Philippine President Benigno Aquino III said on Thursday that he will impart the "spirit of optimism" prevailing in the Philippines to his counterparts when he attends the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit in Yokohama, Japan.
In his departure statement issued Thursday, Aquino said that he will take advantage of the new-found respect for the Philippines in the international community in his latest foreign trip.
"We have recovered our voice on the world stage. It is this spirit of optimism I wish to share, as your representative in APEC, in my interactions in this forum," he said.
Aquino said he will also meet with business leaders in Japan, reiterating his message that the Philippines is open for business and that his administration "has already carried out critical reforms aimed at effecting a long-term impact on our economy."
The President will return to Manila Monday.
Secretary Ricky Carandang of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO) said in a separate news briefing that the Philippines is also seeking bilateral meetings with U.S. President Barack Obama, President Hu Jintao of China, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudyuhono.
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