CLARK FIELD, Philippines – (UPDATED) Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong flew in a little past 1pm Sunday in this former military base in Pampanga, the sixth ASEAN leader who has arrived at the weekend for the 31st ASEAN Summit and Related Summits.
Amid a festive welcome by young Filipino cultural performers, PM Lee was met at Clark by Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar and his wife Emmeline Aglipay-Villar.
Earlier at the Clark International Airport, five other ASEAN leaders also arrived, two on Saturday afternoon: Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen and Myanmar State Counsellor and Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
On Sunday morning, Lao PDR Prime Minister Thoungloun Sisoulith arrived, followed past noon by Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak. All the leaders were separately ferried to Metro Manila for the main ASEAN-related events that run until Wednesday, Nov. 15.
At the NAIA Terminal 3 also on Sunday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres arrived on a commercial flight, also for the ASEAN events.
Also expected to arrive Sunday at Clark are Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
The heads of state and government of the ASEAN members and the regional bloc’s dialogue partners including US President Donald Trump, will be feted at a gala dinner hosted by President Rodrigo Duterte Sunday night, to mark the 50th anniversary of ASEAN.- with a report by Camille Aguinaldo, InterAksyon
