Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, stepped off the plane at the weekend in Clark Freeport, saw the welcoming committee on the tarmac – a bevy of cheering and dancing children – and did the most natural thing that any heartthrob would do: He took a slight detour on the way to his waiting limousine and waded into the crowd, greeting the kids who were supposed to be greeting him and exchanging high fives and wave after wave to the delight of the youngsters.
After motoring to Manila where he was to attend the ASEAN and related summits, one of his stops was a clinic in Tondo that advocates family planning for women – operated by a non-governmental organization with funding from Canada – where he likewise flashed his charm and hobnobbed with the staff of the health center.
He then noticed that there was an outlet of the Jollibee fast food chain nearby, and being familiar with the offshore operation of Jollibee in Winnipeg, in a country with hundreds of thousands of Filipino immigrants, led his close-in entourage to look in and pay a visit.
Trudeau greeted nearly everyone in the store, shaking hands and exchanging hugs with fans after ordering fried chicken and a strawberry float.
“He’s so handsome! And he’s very nice,” said 29-year-old Rina Aparicio, among the customers at the fast food outlet. “I asked for a selfie and he said yes right away.”
He went up to the ordering counter. “Can I get it to go? I’ll eat it in the car,” Trudeau said, before going behind the counter for a photograph with Jollibee staff.
Outside the store, hundreds of people screamed and shouted as Trudeau got into his car, waving what appeared to be hastily written placards saying “Welcome to the Philippines!”
This Trudeau did as casually as it goes, charming residents of Manila and sending his fans swooning for the second time in two years.
Jollibee is opening another outlet in Winnipeg this month and plans are to increase that to 30 in five to 10 years, said Jose Minana, a Jollibee executive.
Minana said the company did not seek out Trudeau for the visit, elaborating that it was requested by Canadian officials.
“We’re very humbled by him taking time from his obviously busy schedule to give us a slice of his time,” said Minana.
“I’d like to also think that he enjoys the food.”