Suu Kyi, 8 leaders arriving for meet

MANILA, Philippines - Eight heads of state and Nobel Peace Prize winner and Myanmar state counselor Aung San Suu Kyi will attend the 30th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Manila this week.

Included in the final list of leaders who will participate in the ASEAN meeting are Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang, Laos President Bounnhang Vorachith and Suu Kyi.

ASEAN 2017 National Organizing Council director-general for operations Ambassador Marciano Paynor Jr. said Suu Kyi would represent Myanmar president U Htin Kyaw, who had named her as head of their country’s delegation.

“All of them (ASEAN heads of state) will be coming. Myanmar’s head of state is not coming but they have designated Aung San Suu Kyi as head of delegation,” Paynor said in an interview yesterday in Malacañang. 

Paynor said traditionally, the Myanmar president does not attend multilateral meetings so he assigns somebody to represent him.

The 30th ASEAN summit and related meetings will be held on April 26 to 29. 

Honeylet to host spouses of Asean heads

Paynor also said Duterte’s partner Honeylet Avanceña would serve as official hostess of the spouses of ASEAN heads of state. 

“There will be a spouses’ program. I understand that they will be shown the Metropolitan Museum and will be hosted lunch by Madam Honeylet,” Paynor said. 

It will not be the first time that Avanceña will be hosting visitors from other countries. She hosted Akie Abe, wife of Japan Prime Minister Shinz? Abe, when they visited Davao City last January.

Paynor said Avanceña would be assisted by other agencies including the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Metropolitan Museum staff, Malacañang internal house affairs and social secretary.  

Paynor said Duterte was the one who chose Avanceña as official hostess of the ASEAN leaders’ spouses. 

Six spouses of ASEAN heads of state have so far confirmed their attendance to the summit.

‘Duterte absorbing Asean briefings quickly’

Paynor said Duterte is continuously being briefed about his role as chairman of the 10-country regional bloc. 

“One thing with the President, he absorbs very quickly… there are figuratively a hundred and one issues so no one is expected to have a mastery of all unless you are in these meetings every time,” Paynor said. 

“This is his first time. It’s expected that he does not know all the issues, but of the many issues, he has a fairly good grasp,” he added. 

Paynor said Duterte is “okay” when he is with other heads of state. 

“It’s a personal style, we look at it that way. It’s a personal style but he is aware and his demeanor is proper so his attire is his personal choice but when he conducts himself in front of leaders, he’s okay,” the ambassador said.

Paynor said they have received requests for bilateral meetings with Duterte, who is expected to have a “tight” schedule during the summit.  

“Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam have requested for bilateral (meeting) and we are trying to look for the time to insert these meetings,” he said.  

Duterte is also scheduled to meet with  Bolkiah, who will visit the country on April 27, and Widodo, who will arrive the following day. 

On April 30, Duterte and Widodo will lead the opening of a new sea route connecting Davao City, General Santos City and the port city of Bitung in East Indonesia for roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessels on April 30 here.

Widodo will take an early morning flight from Manila to Davao City on April 30. He will stay for an hour for the formal sendoff ceremonies at the Kudos Port before he flies to Hong Kong. – With Edith Regalado, Pia Lee-Brago