If President Rodrigo Duterte were to have his way, he would skip the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Peru this month.
Fresh from his trips to Malaysia and Thailand, the president said he was hesitant to travel to Lima, Peru for the annual summit because he “hates” long-haul flights.
“It’s a long way across the globe. It’s a long haul and it will kill you,” the president said in a press conference upon his arrival at the Davao international airport early Friday morning, November 11.
In a span of more than four months, the president has already traveled to eight Asian countries: Laos, Indonesia, Vietnam, Brunei, China, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia.
Duterte said he prefers to skip the APEC summit especially if his presence would not really be needed.
Under the proposed flight plan, Duterte said his plane would make a stopover to New Zealand before reaching Peru for the APEC leaders’ summit on November 19 and 20. The flight from Wellington to Lima takes approximately 13 hours and 45 minutes.
“Ang problema baka magtuluy-tuloy iyan sa South Pole. Sila na lang muna mauna doon kasi malamig,” Duterte said in jest.
Duterte said he discussed the APEC journey with foreign affairs secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. and presidential adviser on the peace process Jesus Dureza, who both advised him to attend the summit so he could meet a foreign leader there.
But he denied they were alluding to a possible meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama. This year’s APEC summit will be the last for Obama, who will be formally replaced by president-elect Donald Trump in January 2017.
President Duterte earlier launched verbal attacks on Obama after his government criticized his brutal war on drugs.
The two leaders were scheduled to meet in a regional summit in Laos last August but Obama cancelled it at the last minute due to Duterte’s profanity-laced attacks.
The post Duterte ‘Would Rather Skip’ APEC Summit appeared first on Manila Bulletin
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