Good looks debate trending at the summit: Who is the #Apechottie?

WHILE leaders of Pacific Rim nations discussed trade and economy issues at a meeting in the Philippines this week, netizens of the host country had a debate of their own: who is the handsome “hottie” of the summit?

A Twitter poll with the hashtag #APEChottie, one of the most trending on social media, pitted new Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau against Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto for the most good-looking leader at the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) summit.

“#APEC2015 has caused too much aggravation and it’s about time to look into the bright side of it #APEChottie,” said a post from one resident of Manila, which has been plagued by traffic gridlocks for days due to the ring of security thrown around the summit.

Trudeau, 43, and already famous on the internet for a photograph of him shirtless and in a boxer’s pose, had a slight edge, local media said. But Pena Nieto, 49, gets a lot of attention because of his clean-cut looks and the shared history between Mexico and the Philippines, both former Spanish colonies.

Other leaders at Apec, including US President Barack Obama, China’s Xi Jinping and Japan’s Shinzo Abe were not on the list.

Nor was Philippine President Benigno Aquino, although he is still called the most eligible bachelor in the country. – Reuters