President Duterte will not be participating in the Asean Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia scheduled during coming the weekend.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque announced on Thursday that the President will be skipping the international event since it will be held in a face-to-face setting.
“The President will not personally attend. But I am sure our Department of Foreign Affairs [DFA] will be there,” Roque said in an online press briefing.
In a news statement issued on Thursday, DFA said Duterte designated Foreign Affairs Secretaty Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. as his special envoy during the Asean Summit.
Aside from Duterte, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha was also reported to be most likely physically absent in the regional meeting.
Among the highlights of the summit will be the discussion of a possible joint Asean position on the military coup in Myanmar.
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IN a related development, Presidential adviser on Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Robert E.A. Borje said Duterte is now considering holding a virtual meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
This after Suga decided to postpone his official visit to the Philippines and India to attend to matters related to novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
Borje said the President understands the position of Suga, especially amid the serious Covid crisis in Japan.
He said President Duterte is now considering pushing through with his talk with Suga through other means aside from a face-to-face meeting.
“There are ways right now to move forward the agenda, but again we understand the Covid-19 in Japan is very serious…so in the right time once the opportunity presents itself if not via telesummit, through a phone call,” Borje said.
The Japanese government is currently considering declaring a state of emergency in several parts of Japan to address its growing number of infections.
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