Aquino back in Manila Tuesday morning

President Benigno Aquino III will arrive in Manila from his week-long working visit to the United States early Tuesday morning with the details of the $2.7-billion investment deals he and his delegation secured during the trip. Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Aquino, whose plane is expected to land at 3 a.m., will issue an arrival statement and hold a press conference to report the accomplishments made during his stay in the US. Aquino may also give more information on what he and US President Barack Obama discussed during their one-on-one meeting in New York, which lasted about seven minutes, last Friday (Manila time), Lacierda said. Aquino flew to the US Monday night last week for his first official foreign visit as chief executive. While in the US, he attended various business conferences, the US-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders’ meeting, and the United Nations general assembly where he delivered a speech calling for “global people power." Those who accompanied the President were Cabinet secretaries Cesar Purisima (Finance), Gregory Domingo (Trade), Alberto Romulo (Foreign Affairs), and Jose Rene Almendras (Energy). He was likewise accompanied by a 34-man business delegation composed of many of the country’s top business leaders. Lacierda had earlier said the businessmen shouldered their own expenses for the trip. Aquino’s defeated running-mate, former senator Mar Roxas, also joined the trip reportedly as an adviser on business matters. Roxas was a former trade secretary and had also worked for investment bank Allen & Company. Malacañang had earlier defended Roxas’ inclusion in the trip, pointing out that Aquino considers Roxas as one of his “senior advisers." Lacierda on Monday quashed the rumor that Roxas was able to get into the UN assembly by using a fake ID. “That is not correct. The embassy was able to secure [an ID for] Sen. Mar Roxas, who by the way has spoken before the United Nations general assembly before," he said. As a former senator, Roxas was accorded the privilege to attend the assembly, Lacierda added. Aquino had previously said he would appoint Roxas to a government post after the one-year ban on losing candidates. Rumors have it that he is being eyed for the Department of Foreign Affairs. - KBK, GMANews.TV