PNoy's trips abroad inevitable – Palace

Due to several invitations from different countries, trips abroad by President Benigno Aquino III would be inevitable, a Malacañang official said Friday. At a press briefing, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said, “Meron po tayong pangangailangan na bumisita doon sa mga bansang malalapit sa atin and of course, being one of the relatively new presidents in the region, talagang maraming nag-iimbita sa Pangulo." However, she assured the public that the President will only accept invitations that he thinks would turn out to be beneficial to the Filipino people. Last year, President Aquino said he will limit going out of the country and will only go abroad when “really necessary." Since he assumed office, the President has visited eight countries including Vietnam, United States, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei and China.
This month, Aquino is supposed to return to Japan and the US, but the Department of Foreign Affairs has yet to confirm the schedules. “I am not quite sure yet, we can confirm there is an invitation... all in September, but we have no confirmation yet on whether the President will be accepting the invitation," Valte said. Aquino's predecessor, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo traveled 81 times from August 2001 to September 2009, making her official foreign travels more frequent than those made by past US presidents. — LBG, GMA News