Aquino invited to visit 6 other countries, including Myanmar

President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III was invited to visit six other countries during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Vietnam last week, but the president does not seem to be eager to schedule any of those visits just yet. In an interview upon his arrival Sunday night, Aquino said he was invited to undertake state visits to six other ASEAN member-countries: Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar. Aquino, who earlier vowed not to travel abroad too often, said he only answered that he would visit "at the appropriate time." "Napipicture ko pa rin ang dami ng ating naiiwan na problema dito. So naintindihan naman nila, sabi ko apat na buwan pa lang tayo, baka puwedeng tukuyan ko ng lubos na pansin ang mga problema dito (I can picture that we have a lot of problems left here. They understood that; I said my administration is only four months old so perhaps it would be better if I focus my attention on the problems here)," Aquino said. Myanmar The president, however, said he would seriously consider visiting Myanmar if they show determination to go on the road to democracy. Myanmar is set to hold its first election in 20 years on November 7, but detained democracy leader Au Sang Suu Kyi has been banned from participating in the polls. Aquino, the son of the late democracy icons Ninoy and Corazon Aquino, has joined the international community in their call for Suu Kyi's release. Aquino's first foreign trip as chief executive was his week-long working visit to the United States, where he attended the United Nations general assembly and met with several businessmen. Aquino and his delegation ultimately secured $2.4 billion in investments. His first state visit was in Vietnam, from October 26 to 27. The president's only confirmed remaining foreign trip for the rest of the year is his attendance to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Japan in the middle of November. Aquino said he will also meet with businessmen in Japan in the hopes of netting more investments for the Philippines. "I am told that it might even be better than what we produced in America and significantly better," he said. Japan recently approved a P21.4-billion loan assistance for the maintenance and improvement of roads in the Philippines. — Jam Sisante/RSJ, GMANews.TV