TWENTY-one world leaders are expected to participate in the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit and Related Meetings in the Philippines in November, a diplomat said on Tuesday.
Ambassador Marciano Paynor Jr., director general for operations of the Asean 2017 National Organizing Committee, said there was no indication that the 21 heads of state, as well United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, would not grace the event.
"We will have a total of 21 heads of state, heads of government, plus the Secretary-General of the United Nations," Paynor told a press conference.
"Thus far, we have not had any indication of anyone not coming. So as long as they have not indicated that they are not coming, we assume that they are," he added.
The Philippines is this year's chair of the Southeast Asian bloc, whose other members include Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The Philippines will host the 31st Asean fora, which will be simultaneously held in Manila and Clark, Pampanga on November 11 to 14.
The event is slated to be attended by Asean's dialogue partners, including Australia, Canada, China, European Union (EU), India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia, and United States.
Paynor noted there would be numerous bilateral dialogues among Asean leaders and their dialogue partners that will be held at Philippine International Convention Center and Sofitel and Solaire hotels in Manila.
"A good number of bilateral meetings between and amongst the various different leaders who are coming in here but mostly from the dialogue partners. They will want to meet with each other or with Asean leaders," he said.
As for President Rodrigo Duterte, Paynor said there were two scheduled bilateral meetings but he refused to provide further details.
'EU, Asean ties remained 'very robust'
Among the regional bloc's dialogue partners, the President has become distant from the EU because of its supposed intervention in the Philippines' internal issues, specifically in its war against illegal drugs.
Duterte, in his recent speeches, has repeatedly thrown expletives at the EU and even ordered to reject future grants from the bloc to avoid interference.
Paynor admitted that Duterte's remarks had an impact on the relationship between the Philippines and the EU.
He, however, believed that despite the Chief Executive's rhetoric, EU's ties with Asean member-states remained "very robust."
"The issue between the European Union and the Philippines is different from Asean and European Union. The Asean and European Union have been very robust," Paynor said.
"So I feel that the issue between the Philippines and EU on a bilateral basis will be put in the background," he added.
'Security preps now underway'
Meanwhile, Paynor gave assurance that the country was ready for the upcoming 31st Asean Summit and Related Meetings.
On Monday, Malacañang released Proclamation 332, declaring November 13 to 15 as special non-working days in Manila, Bulacan, and Pampanga to pave way for the Asean conference.
Barely a month before the event, the Philippine government declared that the crisis in strife-torn Marawi City in the southern Philippines was over.
Paynor said the security forces would be on "full security alert" all throughout the country, especially in the areas where world leaders will gather.
"The whole country will be on alert because we would not want anything happening anywhere in the Philippines during those days," he said.
"So thus far, I can say that we are more or less prepared and we are ready to accept and meet up all of the various heads of government, heads of state, who are coming in." (SunStar Philippines)