Rody flies to Brunei for Bolkiah’s installation anniversary

With government troopers making significant headway to clear Marawi of Maute terrorists, President Duterte is confident enough to leave for a brief trip to Brunei Darussalam today to join Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah on his 50th anniversary of accession to the throne.

Brunei has been preparing a series of grand celebrations this year for the Golden Jubilee of Bolkiah’s accession and invited not only kings and queens from around the world but also heads of state.

Bolkiah, one of the world’s longest reigning and remaining absolute monarchs, was hailed as among the wealthiest royals on Forbes’ list, with a net worth of $20 billion as of 2008.

In a chat with The STAR Tuesday night after hosting a dinner with columnists from various newspapers, the President confirmed his attendance at Bolkiah’s golden anniversary celebration tomorrow.

“Bolkiah invited me and I accepted it. He is a dear friend of the Philippines and a good friend of mine,” the President said.

His partner Honeylet Avanceña will accompany Duterte.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has yet to release the official entourage of the President to Brunei.

This will be the first time Duterte is leaving for abroad after declaring martial law in Marawi City, following the Maute siege last May 23 when he was forced to cut short his state visit to Moscow.

He subsequently expanded martial law to the entire Mindanao to contain the spread of Maute terrorist attacks.

During the same dinner with media at Malacañang, the President disclosed that the military is winding down its offensive operations to flush out the remaining Mautes and start the rehabilitation process for strife-torn Marawi.