by pna
President Benigno S. Aquino III is scheduled to meet with President Barack Obama during his three-day working visit to the United States to discuss various issues of mutual interest that would further strengthen the Philippines’ strategic partnership with its long-standing western ally.
Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for American Affairs Patricia Ann Paez said during a pre-departure briefing on Friday at Malacañang that this particular visit of President Aquino from June 6 to 8 reflects the heightened engagement between the Philippines and the United States.
The President will be received by President Obama at the White House Oval Office in Washington, D.C. on June 8 where they are expected to discuss a wide range of topics, including the country's close strategic, economic, and people-to-people ties with the U.S.
Paez said the two leaders will also touch on the Philippines’ cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region as the U.S. refocuses its attention in the area characterized by economic dynamism as well as the fresh challenges.
“President Aquino’s visit to Washington, D.C. reflects the heightened engagements between our two countries. This is evidenced by the upward trajectory of high-level engagements that include our first bilateral strategic dialogue in Manila in January 2011 and the second bilateral strategic dialogue in Washington, D.C. in January 2012," said Paez.
There were also visits of four top-level congressional delegations in 2011 and 2012,†she explained.
Paez added that the first-ever two-plus-two meeting between the Secretaries of Foreign Affairs and Defense of the two countries was held last April in Washington, D.C. The Philippines is also the country coordinator for the ASEAN-US dialogue partnership.
Paez said President Obama has also expressed interest in being updated about President Aquino’s vision for the Philippines and his development agenda specifically to promote inclusive growth, create equal opportunities for all, and foster good governance.
She said the Oval Office meeting between the two presidents is already their fourth in a span of two years. Their first meeting was held in September 2010 during the ASEAN-US Leaders’ Meeting in New York.
This was followed by another meeting at the launching of the Open Government Partnership in September 2011 also in New York. Their last meeting was on November 18, 2011 during the ASEAN-US Leaders’ Meeting held in Bali, Indonesia.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, will be hosting a luncheon in honor of President Aquino and his delegation with some 200 guests. The President will also meet with the top leaders of the U.S. Senate at a reception hosted by Senate President Pro Tempore Daniel Inouye.
Senator Inouye has been described by Paez as the “champion of Philippine interest" in the U.S. Congress who has manifested steadfast support for the Philippines as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Apart from meeting the top U.S. government officials, President Aquino is also expected to speak with some business leaders and investors while in Washington, D.C. In addition, Paez said, the President will also grace the launching of the US-Philippine Society that aims to provide information on the Philippines to U.S. policy makers. It will convey to the Philippine government objective feedbacks on perceptions in the U.S. regarding the country, and undertake partnership programs with NGOs and other institutions to increase public exposure of Philippine issues.
President Aquino will also be granting interviews with the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post.
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