MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte will not attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit in Jakarta, Indonesia on April 24, Malacaang said Thursday.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will attend instead.
The April 24 meeting of the 10-country bloc of the Asean is expected to address the ongoing crisis in post-coup Myanmar.
“Ang Presidente hindi personally mag-aattend but I’m sure that our DFA will be there,” Roque said in a Palace briefing when asked if the President will attend the summit.
“It’s the issue of face-to-face. Marami rin pong I think na ‘yung issue …
Keep on reading: Duterte to skip ASEAN summit on Myanmar crisis — Roque