President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. —Photo by Yummie Dingding/PPA Pool
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. departed for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday night, said the Palace.
According to Press Secretary Cesar Chavez in a message to Palace reporters, Marcos departed to the UAE at 9:11 p.m.
Travelling with Marcos, said Chavez, is former Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. “as he has close ties with [the] UAE Royal Family.”
READ: Marcos to finally visit UAE
Meanwhile, Environment Sec. Toni Loyzaga, National Commission for Culture and the Arts Chair Vic Manalo and Foreign Undersecretary Charles Jose will also join Marcos in his trip to the UAE.
READ: Marcos names caretakers for UAE trip; VP Duterte sidelined
Marcos is scheduled to arrive in the UAE at around 2 a.m. (Manila time).
In an earlier statement, the Palace said Marcos has assigned Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla and Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III as caretakers of the country while he is overseas.
The President’s departure from the country is usually broadcast live, but while no official explanation has been provided by Malacañang on why it was not broadcast this time, strict security measures have recently been put in place around Marcos.
Chavez also told reporters that no official photos of Marcos’ departure will be released.
The strengthened security stems from a threat made by Vice President Sara Duterte, where she claimed that she has instructed an unidentified individual to kill Marcos, his wife Liza, and Speaker Martin Romualdez in the event that she herself dies.
Malacañang tagged Duterte’s pronouncement as an “active threat,” with the Presidential Security Command earlier announcing that it has doubled its security personnel for Marcos.