Govt sets aside P24.8 million for PNoy US trip

The government has set aside P24.8 million for President Benigno Aquino III’s five-day official trip to the United States, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. said on Sunday. Ochoa said the budget covers expenses for hotel accommodations, food, transportation, telecommunications and equipment requirements. Aquino, who will depart Manila on Sunday night, will be in San Francisco first, then New York. Ochoa said San Francisco is just a short stop before New York. In New York, Aquino will be conferred a Doctor of Laws degree, honoris causa, at Fordham University and have his name carved next to his mother’s on the steps of the “Terrace of the Presidents" at Keating Hall. The university conferred an honorary degree on President Corazon Aquino in September 1986. While in the US, Aquino will also attend the official launch of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and deliver a keynote speech. The OGP is a new multilateral initiative to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption and harness new technologies to strengthen governance. The Philippines is the representative of Asia on the eight-member steering committee. The other OGP members are US, Brazil, UK, Indonesia, Mexico, Norway and South Africa. Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said US President Barack Obama will be present at the opening ceremonies but it is not yet sure if he will meet with Aquino. Aquino earlier said he intends to discuss the Mutual Defense Treaty with the US President if they ever get a chance to meet. Aquino will also meet high-level executives of the US-ASEAN Business Council, the US Chamber of Commerce and the Philippine-American Chamber of Commerce, and speak before the IBM Centennial Forum, “Think: A Forum on the Future of Leadership." In Washington, Aquino will deliver a lecture on the roles of citizen empowerment, good governance and anti-corruption initiatives as agents of poverty reduction during the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings. He will also meet with Sen. Daniel Inouye, president pro tempore of the US Senate and Chairman of its Appropriations Committee, to thank him for his continued support of Philippine causes in the US Congress. Before leaving for Manila, Aquino will meet with the Filipino communities in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia, an area where approximately 110,000 Filipinos live. Aquino is expected to depart for San Francisco at 10:30 p.m. Sunday on board Philippine Airlines commercial flight PR 104 at the NAIA Centennial Terminal. He will return to Manila on Sept. 23. Aquino’s delegation includes Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman, Transportation Secretary Manuel Roxas II, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Secretary Ramon Carandang, and Bangko Sentral Governor Amando Tetangco, Jr. — KBK/HS, GMA News