After delay, Aquino arrives in Manila

After a delay of several hours, President Benigno Aquino III finally returned to the Philippines after attending the 18th Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Indonesia. Aquino arrived at the Villamor Air Base aboard a chartered flight minutes after noon, according to a report by dzBB’s Tuesday Niu. The president immediately conferred with Cabinet members and was to get a briefing from the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration on Tropical Storm Bebeng (Aere). Rains spawned by Storm Bebeng earlier forced Aquino to delay his flight back to Manila from Indonesia Sunday night. Expected to give the briefing were PAGASA officer-in-charge Nathaniel Servando and Science Undersecretary Graciano Yumul Jr., the same report said. Bebeng had weakened slightly before noon Monday as it continued to move in a northward direction. As of posting time, the death toll remained at nine. — RSJ, GMA News