The Philippines today welcomed the White House announcement on the visit of United States President Donald Trump to Manila in November, saying this affirms the strong partnership between the two allies.
“President Trump will definitely receive a very warm welcome in Manila,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano said after the White House confirmed on Friday the US chief executive’s participation in the East Asian Summit.
“President Duterte is looking forward to welcoming President Trump in Manila,” Secretary Cayetano said. “Our people are excited to see the first face-to-face meeting between our two leaders.”
The White House said President Trump’s visit to the Philippines will be part of a 12-day trip from 3 to 14 November that will also take him to Japan, South Korea, China, and Vietnam.
“President Trump’s visit underscores the improving relations between the Philippines and the United States, which no less than Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told me is on an upward vector,” Secretary Cayetano said.
The Secretary also described relations between the Philippines and the US to be strong and irreversible in his interview by National Public Radio (NPR) in Washington on Thursday.
“The American-Filipino relationship is so resilient that it bounces back right always regardless of personalities and issues,” the Secretary told by NPR anchor Mary Louise Kelly. | DFA
