Thursday, June 19, 2008 Arroyo sets 10-day visit to US
PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will leave on Saturday evening for a 10-day visit to the United States to further strengthen the historic Philippines-US relations.
The President, to be accompanied by First Gentleman Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo, will take a commercial flight to San Francisco, California, the first stop of her US visit.
Also with the presidential party are some Cabinet officials, lawmakers and top Filipino business leaders.
The Chief Executive's US engagements include meetings with Filipino communities, Filipino World War II veterans and American business groups.
She will also hold a series of meetings on a wide range of issues including the environment, security, human rights, and other global concerns.
From San Francisco, the President will proceed to Fresno, California to hear mass and interact with the Filipino community before proceeding to Washington D.C.
Meeting members of Filipino communities in the countries that she visits is a standard feature of the President's trips abroad in an effort to keep them posted on developments back home and to encourage them to invest in the country, as well as thank them for their remittances that had helped improve the economy.
The President's second stop is Washington D.C. where she will meet with President George W. Bush at the Oval Office.
The White House meeting, the highlight of her US trip, will focus on outstanding global issues of common concern to the two countries, notably terrorism, food security, non-proliferation of nuclear arms and human rights.
President Arroyo is expected to thank Bush for his support to Filipino World War II veterans through the US Veterans Office in Manila and the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City, and express her hope for a favorable resolution of the remaining issues relating to Filipino veterans.
Mrs. Arroyo will also personally thank the US Senate for its historic 96-1 vote in favor of the Veterans Benefits Bill calling for additional benefits to Filipino WWII veterans.
At the Pentagon, she will discuss with US Defense Secretary Robert Gates the Philippines' defense reform program.
President Arroyo will also take the opportunity to meet with the Philippines-US Friendship Caucus, a group composed of members of the US House of Representatives who have openly supported moves to strengthen relations between the Philippines and the United States.
She will also meet with officials of the Washington-based the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).
Last March, the MCC granted the Philippines Compact Eligible status, opening the door for the Philippines to avail itself of up to US$700 million in grants to help boost the country's economic growth.
The Philippines has gained compact eligible status after passing objective indicators in the areas of governing justly, investing in its citizens, and encouraging economic freedom.
Also in Washington, Mrs. Arroyo will meet with stakeholders of the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) a multi-nation effort to push the CTI project spanning across Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste.
The Triangle holds the richest concentration of iridescent corals, fish, crustaceans, mollusks and marine plants in the world.
The Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)-US Business Council (USBC) and the United States Chamber of Commerce (USCC) will co-host a dinner in honor of President Arroyo in Washington.
In New York, the last leg of her US trip, Mrs. Arroyo will be meeting with a number of business leaders and investment groups, including Libby's Fruits, Target Sourcing, Rotec Technology and Apac Customer Services.
She will also host a reception for the permanent representatives to the United Nations in connection with the candidature of Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). (Press release)
