NEW YORK – President Aquino has confirmed his choice of former senator Manuel Roxas II as his unofficial senior adviser amid a brief hubbub stirred by his former running mate’s presence among members of the official retinue.
Looking fresh and upbeat upon arrival here on a chartered flight from San Francisco, Mr. Aquino made a promise at once to Filipinos who welcomed him that he would make the most of out of his trip and bring home jobs for the people.
Mr. Aquino arrived at around 5 a.m. here (5 p.m. Manila time) and went straight to Hotel Sofitel where he was billeted. He granted local reporters waiting for him at the lobby a short interview.
“Our first platform is job generation and we want to make sure that we bring in more than we expected to deliver and we hear very positive developments about it,” Mr. Aquino said.
Mr. Aquino said Roxas could help him a lot in his meetings with business groups and potential investors because the former senator had worked as an investment banker here for a long time.
He said there “is something about a personal touch” that could facilitate business dealings.
Roxas, for his part, said it would be up to Mr. Aquino to define his role because he would only give inputs when asked. As a candidate in the last elections, Roxas is barred from holding public office within a year after the polls.
Roxas claimed that he and the President had not talked about his future official position in government.
Mr. Aquino said he had been studying various issues to be raised during his meetings and made sure he would not suffer from jet lag.
“I think it is my duty to ensure that I am prepared before I do meet all of them,” Mr. Aquino said, adding he had brought with him 12 attaché cases containing briefing materials for all the meetings he would be leading.
With Mr. Aquino, aside from Roxas, were Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo and Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras.
The President as a young man had lived in the US in the 1980s as an exile together with his parents and sisters.
Happy meals
Mr. Aquino said he would like to eat “mom and pop” pizza and a beef chow mien, a Chinese dish. But he said Chinatown is far from his hotel.
He also said he found the burger in the “In and Out” in San Francisco “delicious” and that his companions savored theirs like starving kids. “They were very happy,” he said. He said he did not know how much his burger was because his companions only gave it to him.
Mr. Aquino said he was excited to meet the Filipino community which supported him during the last elections.
Mr. Aquino said he took nine members of the Presidential Security Group with him and that the US security officers would also have to deal with them.
He said he wouldn’t mind traveling on courtesy lanes or getting police escorts. “We have no control here,” he said laughing.
Yesterday, the President had lunch at Serafina Fabulous Grill near Park and Madison Avenue. He then had a bilateral meeting with Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet in the afternoon.
He was also interviewed by The New York Times.
The interview was held at the New York Times Building on 620 Eighth Avenue, and was conducted by six Times staff, including deputy foreign editors Ian Fisher and Joseph Kahn.
The interview covered topics ranging from overseas Filipino workers, the Maguindanao massacre, the Abu Sayyaf, the insurgencies in Mindanao, as well as the US and regional concerns regarding the Spratly Islands.
In the evening, the President enjoyed a steak dinner at the Keens Steak House in Manhattan.
Mr. Aquino also clarified that his meeting with US President Barack Obama was not yet confirmed but he would be participating in the US-ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting.