Duterte no-show in three Asean events
ASEAN – Australia Informal Breakfast Summit, 14 November 2018. From left:
Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Myanmar State Counsellor Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi, Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr, Vietnamese Prime
Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison MP, Singapore Prime
Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thai Prime Minister GEN Prayut Chan-o-cha , Brunei Sultan Haji
Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen, Indonesian President Joko
Widodo, Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith. Photo credit: ASEAN2018 Organising Committee
SINGAPORE — President Rodrigo Duterte skipped three events on Wednesday during the 33rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit here.
Duterte first skipped the Asean-Australia Informal Breakfast Summit in the morning, the first event for Southeast Asian leaders during the second day of the Asean Summit.
After his absence from the first event, Duterte then attended the Asean-China Summit with Chinese President Li Keqiang around 9:30 a.m.
After the meeting, he also skipped the Asean-Republic of Korea Summit.
20th ASEAN – ROK Summit, 14 November 2018. From left: Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr, Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Myanmar State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, ROK President Moon Jae-In, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thai Prime Minister GEN Prayut Chan-o-cha, Brunei Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. Photo credit: ASEAN2018 Organising Committee
He also did not attend the working lunch with Asean leaders and guests.
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PHOTO from Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI)
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. represented the President in the three events.
Malacanang has yet to issue a statement on the absence of Duterte but a Palace source said the President was “resting” at his hotel here. /je
