Duterte attends dialogue with biz leaders but missing in gala dinner, family photo

President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday attended a dialogue with prominent business leaders in the Asia-Pacific region but was noticeably absent from a gala dinner for the APEC Summit in Papua New Guinea.

GMA News' Jam Sisante said in a Super Radyo dzBB report that Duterte earlier in the day met with business leaders during the summit of chief executive officers of the APEC Business Advisory Council or ABAC.

When it was time for the gala dinner, however, Duterte was nowhere to be found. Instead, Trade Sec. Ramon Lopez was spotted attending the event.

As a result, Duterte failed to join other world leaders for the 2018 APEC "family picture."

Sisante said the Palace has yet to issue a confirmation if the President indeed skipped the dinner.

Pres. Duterte earlier attended the dialogue with the APEC Business Advisory Council. He is set to fly back to PHL tonight (he was originally scheduled to attend the APEC summit until Sunday)

— Jam Sisante-Cayco (@jamsisante) November 17, 2018

Earlier in the day, Presidential Spokesperson and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said Duterte will participate in today's APEC-related events, inlcuding the gala dinner, the dialogue with the business leaders, and a meeting with leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum.

Duterte will leave for the Philippines right after the APEC-related events on Saturday night due to "urgent domestic developments."

Lopez will represent Duterte in the remaining APEC-related events.

Lopez is expected to push for the Philippines' priorities in APEC, "particularly in our pursuit of a comfortable and secure life for our people, with the same full resolve," Panelo said.

Lopez will also work with other leaders in having small business link internationally, in line with the Philippine-led initiative, the Boracay Action Agenda, Panelo said.

Duterte missed several meetings during the 33rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Singapore earlier this week, such as the ASEAN-Australia Informal Breakfast Summit and the gala dinner Singapore hosted for heads of government.

Malacañang on Wednesday said Duterte hardly slept the night before and needed to take power naps in between meetings. — MDM, GMA News