After China, Aquino to visit US and Japan

MANILA, Philippines—There’s no stopping his globetrotting.

On his way back from a five-day state visit in China on Saturday, President Benigno Aquino already has “several” other foreign trips lined up for him, according to Malacañang.

At the top of his itinerary are state visits to Japan and the United States, where he is also expected to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York this month.

Abigail Valte, an assistant to the President’s spokesman, Edwin Lacierda, said she was not aware of the details of the trips. She said Aquino had received an invitation to visit the US, but said, “We have no confirmation yet on whether the President will be accepting.”

Asked if the Japan and US trips would both take place this month, she told reporters: “I think, yes. All in September.”

Soon after he assumed office in  2010, Aquino made it clear that he would limit his foreign trips, unlike his predecessor, now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, whom he criticized for her supposedly excessive traveling.

But just 14 months into the presidency, he has already flown to eight countries, the latest one being China.

Valte defended  Aquino’s frequent flying, saying a relatively new chief executive like him would naturally receive several invitations from foreign leaders.

“Being one of the relatively new presidents in the region, there are a lot of other leaders  inviting the President,” she said in Filipino. “But given also the very hectic schedule of the President here, we take into consideration what we can do in deciding on these events.”

She added: “There are several invitations for consideration also. I will have to get confirmation from the (Department of Foreign Affairs) because several countries have also extended their invitations to the President.”

Should the Japan state visit push through, it would be the third time that Aquino would be in that country as president.

Tokyo was the venue of the recent clandestine meeting between the President and chairman Murad Ebrahim of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. He was also in Japan for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November 2010.

Besides the two foreign trips scheduled this month, the President is also set to attend the APEC meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii in November.

Aquino’s first-ever foreign trip as President was also to the US where he joined other foreign leaders for the UN assembly in September last year. His media handlers presented the trip as relatively cheap at P25 million, which supposedly covered expenses for his entire 60-person delegation. Malacañang also had the President photographed while eating at a hotdog stand in New York.

As President, Aquino has also gone to Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, and Brunei.

“Of course, there is a need to visit our so-called neighbors,” Valte said.