MANILA – Facing a “full schedule,” President Rodrigo Duterte left on Sunday for “landmark visits” to Israel and Jordan.
Duterte will be the first Philippine leader to travel to these countries for an eight-day official trip.
“My schedule will be full,” he said in a departure speech at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2.
“I shall seek to reaffirm the ties between our peoples made more significant by a meaningful shared history.”
Upon the invitation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Duterte will be in Israel from Sept. 2 to 5. He is the first Philippine president to travel to Israel since the two countries established ties in 1957.
Both officials are expected to discuss defense and security, law enforcement, economic development, labor, trade, and investments.
From Israel Duterte will head to Jordan where he will stay from Sept. 5 to 8 upon the invitation of His Majesty King Abdullah II.
“I look forward to discussing ways of advancing cooperation in … improving defense and security, sustaining growth, addressing transnational crime, intensifying trade and investments, and enhancing labor cooperation,” Duterte said.
According to the President, a business delegation from different sectors of the economy will join him to explore the “diverse trade and investment opportunities that make Jordan and Israel more tempting to offer.”
Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and Foreign Affairs secretary Alan Peter Cayetano are accompanying Duterte.
Cabinet secretaries joining the trip are Silvestre Bello III of the Labor department; Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Defense; Ramon Lopez, Trade and Industry; Roy Cimatu, Environment; Arthur Tugade, Transportation; Alfonso Cusi, Energy; and Eduardo Año, Interior and Local Government.
National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque, Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go, political adviser Francis Tolentino, Sen. Richard Gordon, and Philippine Coast Guard commandant Elson Hermogino are also part of the delegation.
Moreover Duterte is scheduled to meet with Filipino communities in Israel and Jordan, which are home to about 28,000 and 48,000 Filipinos, respectively.
“With more than 2 million Filipinos working in that region, I intend to emphasize the great importance that the Philippines attaches to maintaining peace and stability in the region,” Duterte said. (PNA)
