Trump’s late arrival won’t delay Asean closing ceremony

MANILA, Philippines — The closing ceremony of the 49th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit on Nov. 17 will proceed as scheduled despite the late arrival of United States President Donald Trump, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

“Nothing will be pushed back. We’ll proceed as planned with regard to the preparations, especially on the closing ceremony,” the DFA’s ASEAN spokesman Dominic Xavier Imperial said at a media briefing at the International Media Center.

“However, the day will culminate with the ASEAN-US Special Summit. That summit will still take place despite the late arrival of the (US) president,” he added.

The ASEAN-US Special Summit will be held after the closing ceremony and handover of ASEAN chairship to Singapore.

Trump, the last world leader to arrive for the summit, is scheduled to land in Manila on Nov. 17 at 5:30 p.m., half an hour after the closing ceremony.

The ASEAN-US Special Summit is a high-level diplomatic meeting that brings together leaders from the ASEAN and the US to address shared regional and global challenges, deepen strategic ties and review cooperative frameworks.

The “only leaders” participation in the US-ASEAN Summit enable them to candidly discuss the agenda set for that summit and for identification of the measures that need to be addressed.

Imperial said President Marcos and Trump are scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit and that the latter will have bilateral engagements on Nov. 18.

Trump is likely to miss the East Asia Summit, the only leader-led forum wherein all key Indo-Pacific partners meet to discuss political, security and economic challenges facing the region.

Police operations

Even as over 19,000 police officers will be deployed for the ASEAN Summit, the Philippine National Police assured the public that regular PNP operations and community patrols will continue.

PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. directed regional and local commanders to maintain enough personnel in their areas to sustain crime prevention, patrols and emergency response services.

The National Capital Region Police Office, Police Regional Office 3 and 4A, as well as all Camp Crame-based units have been place under full alert from Nov. 13 to 19.

CAAP ready

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said they are prepared to ensure the smooth arrival and departure of leaders and delegates for the ASEAN Summit.

CAAP director general Raul del Rosario said over 300 flights are expected to be affected by changes in schedule beginning today.

Airline companies have reached out to their passengers and promised appropriate assistance for everyone affected.

The Department of Health (DOH), for its part, has deployed nearly 300 medical personnel to respond to possible health-related incidents during the summit.

As of yesterday, the DOH has dispatched 42 medical teams consisting of 274 health care workers in venues where meetings and activities would be held.

Medical health desks were set up at the Philippine International Convention Center, the main venue of the summit, in the hotels where delegates were billeted and at the International Media Center inside the World Trade Center.