P-Noy off to South Korea

SEOUL – President Aquino is expected to arrive here today for a state visit aimed at enhancing bilateral relations.

Aquino will be met by Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Luis Cruz and other officials at the Seoul Air Base in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do before a scheduled meeting with South Korean President Park Geun-Hye in her office at the Blue House.

Cabinet members led by Secretary Albert del Rosario of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Sonny Coloma of the Presidential Communications Operations Office, will accompany the President during the state visit.

Secretaries Cesar Purisima of the Department of Finance, Voltaire Gazmin of the Department of National Defense, Gregory Domingo of the Department of Trade and Industry, Jericho Petilla of the Department of Energy,

Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras and Presidential Management Staff chief Julia Abad are included in the official delegation.

There will also be a 21-gun salute, followed by the singing of the national anthems of both countries.

After the arrival honors, Aquino will be ushered in to the lobby of the Blue House for the signing of the guest book.

This will be followed by talks between the two presidents at the Jiphyeon Room of the Blue House.

Aquino will also attend a state dinner hosted by Park at the Banquet Hall of the State Guest House.

Aquino will likewise lead wreath-laying ceremonies and awarding of recognition in honor of his father, former senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. who was a war correspondent during the Korean War.

Aquino will also deliver a speech before the Korean business community at the grand ballroom of the Grand Hyatt Hotel here.

He will then proceed to an interview by CNN-Korea correspondent Paula Hancock, also at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.

Before the farewell ceremony at the Seoul Airbase tomorrow, Aquino will meet with the Filipino community at the Lotte hotel here where he will relay to them the good and positive developments of the country since he assumed office in June 2010.

Officials hoped Aquino’s visit to South Korea would improve trade relations.

Bilateral trade between the two countries stood at $7.4 billion in 2012, according to Ambassdor Cruz.

He said this is one area that really needs improvement.

“One area that we really have to work on would be the area of economic relations. I say this because while our trade volume is quite high, it’s about $8 billion, but the balance of trade is in Korea’s favor,” Cruz said.

“So, we would like to narrow this gap and I believe that the visit of the President would help a lot in narrowing this gap in trade relations, it’s about $3 billion,” Cruz told members of the Radio-TV Malacañang.