Palace: US trip entourage cut from 80-plus to ‘a lean’ 57

(Updated 11:55 p.m.) The Philippine presidential delegation that will leave for a working visit to the United States has been trimmed down to merely 57, including four Cabinet secretaries. Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda on Saturday said the number was arrived at after a coordination meeting with concerned agencies Friday. “The original list was 80-plus, but was reduced because the president, wanting to be frugal in his travels abroad, decided to have a very lean delegation. So the final number is 57, Aquino included," Lacierda said on government-run dzRB radio.
He said Cabinet secretaries who are on the list are Alberto Romulo (foreign affairs), Cesar Purisima (finance), Gregory Domingo (trade), and Jose Rene Almendras (energy). None of the presidential spokesmen will be on the trip, but Lacierda said press assistant secretary Renato Marfil will come along to provide updates to Philippine media on the visit. While Lacierda revealed that at least 25 representatives of Philippine media outfits will also be part of the US trip, he did not indicate whether they were counted separately or as part of the 57-member delegation. Meanwhile, Lacierda said Malacañang is still working out the mechanics of a caretaker committee to run the government while Aquino is away. He said he will make an announcement Sunday. “Nag-usap kami ni Executive Secretary, may ilalabas na order tomorrow, I will let you know," he said. (I have talked to Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., I will let you know on Sunday.) Pray for safety, success Lacierda also asked Filipinos to pray for the safety and success of the delegation to the US. “It’s going to be a busy week for the president. He will meet with many world leaders. Let’s pray for him, for his safety; and that when he returns he’ll bring home the bacon," he said. Lacierda did not elaborate on the itinerary and timetable for the US visit. But the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has announced on the online Official Gazette that Aquino will attend two key events in New York on September 24. Both provide the President “the opportunity to meet counterparts and other world leaders," the DFA said. First, Aquino is slated to visit the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, address its General Assembly, and meet with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. At the meeting with Secretary- General Ban, Aquino is expected to discuss the Philippine commitment and achievements to fulfill the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), among others, the DFA explained. ASEAN-US Leaders Meeting In the afternoon, Aquino is also expected to play a leading role at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-US Leaders Meeting, and hold bilateral meetings with other ASEAN state leaders. Aquino will be among the heads of state of the 10 ASEAN-member states who will meet with US President Barack Obama to discuss progress on ASEAN-US cooperation, the DFA said. It said they will also exchange views on international and regional issues. “For the 2nd ASEAN-US Leaders’ Meeting, a Joint Statement is expected to be adopted that will highlight important areas of ASEAN-US cooperation," it said. The Leaders’ Meeting is also expected to pave the way for the creation of an ASEAN-US Eminent Persons Group that will make recommendations for the forging of a Strategic Partnership between ASEAN and the United States in the fields of political-security, economic and socio-cultural cooperation. The Philippines is Asean Country Coordinator for the Asean-US Dialogue for the years 2009-2012. “As Country Coordinator, the Philippines shepherds cooperation between ASEAN and the US, particularly the implementation of the outcome of the Leaders’ Meetings, the directives of Foreign Ministers issued during the annual Post-Ministerial Conference session with the US, and the Plan of Action to Implement ASEAN-US Enhanced Partnership," the DFA said. Earlier this year, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers met with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the 43rd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting-Post Ministerial Conference in Vietnam. At the time, Clinton extended President Obama’s invitation to the ASEAN Heads of State to come to the United States in the fall for their second meeting. President Obama also wrote to the current ASEAN chair and Vietnamese President Nguyan Minh Triet and extended his invitation to all the ASEAN leaders. He reiterated the US policy of reinvigorating engagement with ASEAN, which it regards as a key partner in the promotion of peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. It will be the second meeting between ASEAN and US leaders in the 33-year history of ASEAN-US relations, first established in 1977 to further strengthen political, security and economic relations of ASEAN and the United States. The first ASEAN-US Leaders’ Meeting was held in Singapore on Nov. 15 last year. Bayan warns of ‘risks’ in MCC signing Meanwhile, militant umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) said they see no big difference between Aquino’s agenda in his upcoming US trip and those of past Philippine presidents in their respective US visits. (See: Militants downplay President Aquino's US trip) “While it's fine that Malacañang plans to spend a relatively smaller amount for this trip, and that there won’t be a repeat of Arroyo’s Le Cirque scandal, the agenda of the trip apparently remains similar to past presidential visits. Only the entourage and the cost have changed," Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said on the Bayan website. But Reyes said that aside from attending a UN function, Aquino’s trip will be about getting foreign grants, aid and investments, “while trying to avoid controversial issues like the Visiting Forces Agreement." Bayan also expressed reservations over the signing of the $434-million Millennium Challenge Corp. (MCC) Compact Agreement, one of the highlights of Aquino’s trip. It said that the Philippine government should take a more critical look at foreign aid, even as Aquino already wrote the US government seeking the approval of the MCC Compact Agreement. A dzRB report said the President will be back in the country on September 27.— LBG/JV/HS, GMANews.TV