NOY LUNCHES WITH THAI LEADER / YINGLUCK FAN: KRIS
PLAYS MATCHMAKER
MANILA, JANUARY 21,
2012 (MALAYA) BY REGINA BENGCO - President
Aquino and Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday agreed to support
the economic growth of each other's countries through investments and
cooperation.
"I believe the good Prime Minister will agree with me that the resilient
economies of the Philippines and Thailand are the product of our shared
commitment to free trade and investment. Our open markets have paved the way for
the exchange of goods and services that have translated into billions of US
dollars. Capital and investment are pouring in. Businesses are expanding beyond
our borders," Aquino said after their bilateral meeting.
Yingluck arrived in Manila at past 9 a.m. for her less-than-six-hour visit,
which is the highlight of the 63rd anniversary of Philippine-Thai diplomatic
relations. She laid a wreath at the monument of Jose Rizal in Rizal Park before
going to Malacañan Palace at 11 a.m.
She left for Thailand at around 3 p.m.
Aquino said he and Yingluck are pleased by their countries' economic
relations.
He said Thailand, one of the Philippines' largest trading partners, also
hosts Philippine companies like San Miguel Corp., Universal Robina Corp., and
the Liwayway Food Corp. He also said more than 30,000 Thai tourists visited the
Philippines last year.
He invited Thai companies to invest in government's Public-Private Sector
Partnership Agreement program. Yingluck said Thailand is ready to support Thai
investors who wish to invest in the PPP programs.
Aquino said they also agreed to expand cooperation in education, combating
drug trafficking, and disaster risk reduction and management.
"We both look forward to Manila's hosting of the 5th Meeting of the
Philippines-Thailand Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC), which
will allow us to substantially discuss ways to further strengthen the
implementation of our existing cooperation in the areas of energy, agriculture,
defense and culture," he said.
Aquino thanked Yingluck for Thailand's assistance to the victims of the
flooding caused by storm Sendong (international name: Washi). Yingluck, for her
part, thanked Aquino for the Philippines' assistance when floods affected
Thailand, including Bangkok.
Aquino said he reiterated to Yingluck the Philippines' position that the
territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea should be solved via a
rules-based approach. Although Thailand is not a party to the dispute, it is
part of Asean which the Philippines has asked to help solve the conflict.
He and Yingluck also exchanged views on the Asean community building and
their advocacies in the region.
Yingluck, in her speech, said Thailand appreciates the Philippines'
willingness to remove some restrictions on trade and investment. She expressed
satisfaction that a draft convention on the avoidance of double taxation would
be signed soon.
"Thailand is also ready to export more rice to the Philippines as part of our
cooperation on food security," she said.
She also congratulated Aquino on the success of his administration's
anti-corruption policy.
The luncheon menu for Yingluck and her party included pandan crepe-rolled
prawns and salmon, ulang (giant shrimp) bisque with ginger-flavored crab
croquette and coconut, lemon myrtle crusted sea bass with basil, parsnip puree,
baby roots and lemongrass cream, combination of chocolate opera and dayap (local
lime) mousse
In his speech at the luncheon, Aquino congratulated Yingluck for being
elected last year as Thailand's first woman prime minister. "My mother, too, was
the first female president of my country. And I wish you and your administration
as resilient, as unifying and as hopeful," he said.
The Yingluck club: Kris Aquino plays matchmaker
again By Christine O. Avendaño Philippine Daily Inquirer
[PHOTO - SPECIAL LUNCH: President Aquino gestures as he
talks to Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra during a luncheon on her honor
on Thursday in Malacañang. The Thai leader and her Cabinet met with their
Filipino counterpart during their six-hour official visit in the country. EDWIN BACASMAS]
She came, she saw—and she conquered Kris Aquino.
Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra so impressed President Benigno Aquino
III's celebrity sister that Kris said in her Twitter account Thursday that the
44-year-old Thai leader and the 51-year-old Mr. Aquino looked like a lovely
pair.
Yingluck, who is the sister of deposed Thai Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra, was in Manila for six hours in her first official visit to the
Philippines.
After the meeting between Mr. Aquino and Yingluck at the Palace, Kris
tweeted: "Came from Malacañang. Lunch for Thai Prime Minister Yingluck
Shinawatra. She's tall & slim & attractive! 44 yrs old, bagay (a good
match) for Pnoy! "
Reactions from other Twitter users were not far behind.
Twitter user ggpetil said: "Hahaha. agree. thought the same way too when i
saw her."
Said another Twitter user, mrLaureano: "super like po!! Attractive nman po si
president noy eh!! (President Noy is attractive himself) Yihhhiii!! Hehehe."
But Kris' tweet didn't sit well with another Twitter user, dyonisii, who
said: "only kris can be as crass as this."
Yingluck's preference
Twitter user gizellegay deflated the hopes of any would-be matchmaker,
saying: "I think she's already married."
Gizellegay's tweet appeared to find support in an article that appeared last
August in the US Forbes magazine, which said that Yingluck "has one child with
her common-law husband Anusorn Amornchat."
A story by the Reuters news agency that same month said that Yingluck
preferred "to spend time with common-law husband Anusorn Amornchat, managing
director of mobile handset distributor M-Link Asia Corp., and her 9-year-old son
Supasek."
The Thai government website simply says she is "married to businessman
Anusorn Amornchat."
Like Cory
As with foreign leaders paying a visit to the country, the Palace pulled all
the stops to welcome the statuesque, 5-foot-7-inch (1.72-meter) Yingluck—who was
a bit taller than the 5-foot-6-inch (1.68-meter) Philippine President.
After a meeting with their respective officials, Mr. Aquino hosted a luncheon
for his guests, where he congratulated Yingluck for "hold(ing) a distinct honor
of being the first woman prime minister of Thailand."
"My mother, too, was the first female president of my country," the President
said, referring to his late mother, Corazon Aquino.
Thanking Mr. Aquino for his hospitality, Yingluck said: "It is an honor and
pleasure to be visiting the Philippines, a country that shares close ties with
Thailand and one that has produced great talent on the global stage, including
Manny Pacquiao in boxing and Lea Salonga on Broadway."
"As a fellow Southeast Asian, we share your pride in the achievement of those
famous Filipinos," Shinawatra added.
In their talks, the two leaders thanked each other for the help each country
gave the other when deadly floods struck Thailand and the Philippines, and
pledged to work together in preventing similar disasters.
They also agreed to cooperate in combating drug trafficking, promoting
education and expanding their economic ties.
More rice exports
Yingluck congratulated Mr. Aquino on his successful anticorruption policy and
expressed Thai readiness to export more rice to the Philippines.
In a statement he read in their joint press conference, Mr. Aquino said the
challenge for both countries was "to maximize our gains by strengthening trade
liberalization and investment facilitation."
He invited Thai companies to invest in his public-private partnerships (PPP)
program and Yingluck said her country was "ready to provide support to Thai
investors who wish to invest in the Philippines under the PPP."
Mr. Aquino also said he discussed with Yingluck the position of the
Philippines in resolving territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea (South
China Sea).
"I reiterated our position that a rules-based approach is the only legitimate
way to address the disputes in the West Philippine Sea," Mr. Aquino said,
referring to the overlapping claims over the disputed sea.
In her statement, Yingluck said she and Mr. Aquino were satisfied with the
results of the Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation, the program on the
setting up of energy forums, and cooperation on education, narcotics prevention
and fighting transnational crime.
"Thailand appreciates the Philippines' high support for Thai investors and
willingness to remove some restrictions on trade and investment," she said.
"Thailand is also ready to export more rice to the Philippines as part of our
cooperation on food security." With Inquirer Research
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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