‘Traveling’ Arroyo to go on a 3-nation trip

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is set to embark on a three-nation trip this week to "look after the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs)" and to strengthen bilateral relations and economic cooperation, according to a Malacañang statement. The statement said Mrs. Arroyo's destinations would be Turkey, the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia. It also said the President canceled her visit to New York where she was supposed to address the United Nations General Assembly due to conflict in her schedule. "It conflicted with her schedule for the Saudi Arabia visit," it said. Since she assumed the presidency, Mrs. Arroyo had embarked on 81 foreign trips, which included 111 visits and meetings in 40 countries, cities, and territories, the latest of which was her August 31 travel to Libya this year. On the average, Mrs. Arroyo visited about four countries and made nine trips annually since she became president, according to government data culled by GMA News Research. Mrs. Arroyo recently came under fire for the lavish dinners she and her entourage had in New York and Washington D.C. during their last visit to the United States. A recent study also revealed that Mrs. Arroyo’s trips were even more frequent than that of several former US presidents. According to the Web site of the Office of the Press Secretary, Mrs. Arroyo will arrive in Turkey on September 16. Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said Mrs. Arroyo accepted the invitation of Turkish President Abdullah Gul to talk about their expanding bilateral relations. He said she is also expected to take up the Philippines' observer status bid in the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC). On Sept. 17 and 18, Mrs. Arroyo will be in the United Kingdom to deliver a keynote address in "The Emerging Markets Summit" hosted by London-based news magazine The Economist. She will join five other heads of emerging economies who have confirmed participation in the summit, namely Thailand, Ukraine, Tunisia, Turkey, and Rwanda. While in the UK, the President will witness the signing of two bilateral agreements - the RP-UK Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty and the RP-UK Extradition Treaty - between Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo and British First Secretary of State Lord Mandelson. From London, Mrs. Arroyo will proceed on September 21 to 23 to Saudi Arabia upon the invitation of King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud. There, she will attend the official inauguration of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Thuwal, Rabigh, Saudi Arabia on September 23. Mrs. Arroyo will take up with King Abdullah the further strengthening of bilateral relations, including closer economic cooperation as well as the welfare of an estimated one million Filipino workers. - GMANews.TV