SULTAN OF BRUNEI
– Brunei’s Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah peers through the window of his plane before disembarking at the Ages Hangar at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport last night. He is in the country to attend the 30th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit that started yesterday.
President Duterte is expected to push for closer Philippine-Brunei relations in his meeting with Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah today, Thursday.
The Sultan of Brunei was due to arrive in Manila yesterday night for a state visit upon the invitation of the Philippine leader. He will be among the Association of Southeast Asian (ASEAN) leaders who will attend the 30th summit and related meetings in Manila this week.
Based on the official Palace schedule, the two leaders will hold bilateral talks in Malacañang and witness the signing of several agreements. A joint statement will also be issued by the two leaders afterwards.
The sultan’s visit to the country reciprocates Duterte’s visit to Brunei last October.
Duterte is also expected to host a state banquet for the visiting Brunei Sultan and his delegation at the Palace.
Prior to the Palace visit, the Sultan will offer a wreath at the Rizal monument on Thursday afternoon.
On Friday, the President will host another state guest, President Joko Widodo, in Malacañang to further boost the country’s relations with the Asian neighbor.
Widodo, accompanied by his wife Iriana, will arrive in Manila on Friday afternoon. The Indonesian leader is also expected to participate in the ASEAN summit this week.
“For Indonesia I think it will be a follow-up of what President Duterte and President Widodo had talked about in Jakarta when the President went there for a visit,” former Ambassador Marciano Paynor Jr., director general of the ASEAN-National Organizing Council, said in a recent media interview.
“This is a return state visit of President Widodo. And I would imagine that security of our sea lanes, cross-border traffic and patrol, agriculture, I think, may be one of the issues that will be discussed with Indonesia,” he said.
On Saturday, the President will join Bolkiah and Widodo in Davao City for the launch of a new sea linkage route connecting the three Asian nations.