Aquino Deferring ASEAN Trips my Idea – Romulo

Manila, Philippines – Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo Wednesday disclosed that he was the one who suggested to President Benigno Aquino III the deferment of the latter's trip to Vietnam and Indonesia because of a pressing domestic concern, and push through with his visit to the United States on Sept. 20.

The move was a break from tradition that a Philippine President should first visit a member-nation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) during his term.

“That’s the original plan (going to Vietnam and Indonesia) until overtaken by unforeseen circumstances. That's the tradition. But if there's any fault there I take the blame because I recommended it. The prudent thing to do is to attend to domestic concern. For me it’s first things first because the most effective foreign policy begins at home," Romulo told reporters at the Bulong Pulungan Forum last Tuesday.

“This is where you have to use your judgment. I think everybody and I agree with him. In fact I was the one who suggested that due to pressing domestic concern it’s right for us to defer it. At any rate I said you will be with them anyway in the ASEAN-US," he added.

After he delivers his address at the 65th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Sept. 24, Aquino will be coordinator for the 2nd Coordinator for ASEAN-US Dialogue relations for the period 2009-2012.

"The Philippines is the coordinator so we will meet the same leaders that we wanted to meet in Vietnam and Indonesia," Romulo said.

He also disclosed that an integral part of Aquino's itinerary when he visits the US from Sept. 20 to 26 will be his business meetings with the chief executive officers and key executives of major American corporations in New York and San Francisco including corporate leaders of Coach, Luen Thai, IBM, JP Morgan, Sutherland, Automatic Data Processing and Hewlett-Packard.

"President Aquino will seize the opportunities presented by his US trip to achieve his government’s priorities to attract investors, create jobs at home, alleviate poverty and modernize infrastructure," Romulo said.

Aquino will also meet with members of the Filipino-American communities in New York and San Francisco to "enlist their active involvement in realizing the Aquino government’s national agenda for the Filipino people."

There are currently an estimated 2.84 million Filipinos in the US, according to the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), accounting for 34 percent of total overseas Filipinos and for 42 percent of remittances to the Philippines.

In San Francisco, Aquino will have a roundtable discussion with Filipinos who have gained success in the US in the fields of science technology and engineering and request them to come home and help build the country, the DFA statement said.

The President and his delegation will leave San Francisco on Sept. 26 and are scheduled to arrive in Manila on Sept. 28.

Roy Mabasa, Manila Bulletin