Obama to visit Philippine Navy ship

(Updated 11:07 a.m.) US President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit the Philippine Navy upon his arrival Tuesday in Manila for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, a report on News To Go on Monday said.

The US Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs said Obama will visit a ship of the Philippine Navy.

“Shortly after his arrival, the President will spend his first event focused on our alliance with the Philippines and our maritime security assistance to the region,” Daniel Kritenbrink, acting deputy assistant secretary at the US Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said at a press briefing Saturday.

“This event will be—will include a visit to a Philippine naval ship, where the President will meet with US and Filipino sailors and senior Filipino defense officials. The event will showcase US maritime security assistance to the region,” Kritenbrink added.

The bureau did not mention, however, if the visit is to be made due to the tension brewing in disputed areas of the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea), the News To Go report said.

Obama will arrive in Manila from Turkey where he will attend the G-20 Summit.

Bilateral meetings

On Tuesday afternoon, he is scheduled to meet with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull for a bilateral meeting.

“This will be their first meeting, and their agenda will be extensive given the close cooperation we have with Australia on everything from the counter-ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) coalition to maritime security to TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership),” Kritenbrink said.

Obama will also have a bilateral meeting with President Benigno Aquino III on Wednesday morning “where he (Obama) plans to address a number of issues important to our alliance while also congratulating President Aquino on the Philippines’ hosting of APEC," Kritenbrink added.

Obama will also participate in a meeting on the Trans-Pacific Partnership and a Pacific Alliance meeting together with other leaders the same day. Kritenbrink said the US president will also attend the APEC welcome dinner and cultural performance.

On Thursday, Obama's schedule "will be focused on APEC itself," Kritenberk said, then he will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for a bilateral meeting in the evening. "This will be the first meeting between Prime Minister Abe and the President since the prime minister’s official visit to Washington in April. They’ll discuss a range of regional and global issues reflective of our very close alliance,” said Kritenbrink.

Obama will proceed to Malaysia on Friday for a summit of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders and a bilateral meeting with Malaysian President and Prime Minister Najib Razak, Kritenbrink added. —KG, GMA News