Duterte won’t skip Asean-related summits: Palace

FILE: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte joins other leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries and United Nations (UN) Secretary General António Guterres during the 10th ASEAN-UN Summit at the Impact Exhibition and Convention Center in Nonthaburi, Thailand on November 3, 2019. TOTO LOZANO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte is doing well and will not skip any of the events on the third and last day of the 35th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit and Related Summits in Thailand, Malacañang said Sunday.

In a press conference in Nonthaburi, Thailand, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo ensured that the President would be able to attend the Asean leader’s meeting with their dialogue partners on Monday.

“He (Duterte) is well. He has participated in every event [since the first day of the 35th Asean Summit],” Panelo said. “There is nothing wrong with him, except for his travel-weary, except on that.”

Prior to his participation in the 35th Asean conferences, Duterte experienced “unbearable” lower back pain triggered by his Oct. 16 minor motorcycle accident.

The President was able to recuperate faster than expected, after heeding his neurologist’s advice to limit his physical activities and take pain relievers.

In November 2018, Duterte skipped a number of events during the 33rd day of Asean Summit and Related Summits in Singapore to catch up on sleep.

Panelo guaranteed that the Chief Executive would no longer miss any Asean-related events in Thailand on Monday.

Thailand is this year’s host of the 35th Asean Summit and Related Summits from November 2 to 4.

Apart from Thailand and the Philippines, the 10-man regional bloc’s annual summit was attended by leaders and delegates from eight other member-states, including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Vietnam.

Other world leaders from the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, and the United Nations also attended 35th ASEAN Summit.

On Monday, Duterte will attend the 22nd Asean Plus Three Summit, seventh Asean-US Summit, Special Lunch on Sustainable Development, 14th East Asia Summit, 22nd Asean-Japan Summit, third Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Summit, closing ceremony of the 35th Asean Summit and Related Summits, and handing over of the Asean chairmanship to Vietnam.

The President is also scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the 14th Asean-East Asia Summit.