Philippine President Leaves for APEC MeetingDespite the threat of impeachment hanging over his head, Philippine President Joseph Estrada left for Brunei Wednesday morning to attend the 8th Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' meeting.The president's advance delegation, consisting of Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon, Press Undersecretary Mike Toledo, Trade and Industry acting secretary Tomas Aquino and Foreign Undersecretary Rosario Manalo, left Tuesday. The presidential palace said Tuesday that the president will have lunch with heads of state of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations while in Brunei. He would also join the traditional photo opportunity and the closed-door meetings with APEC leaders. However, Estrada may have to cancel bilateral talks with some of his counterparts because he will be there only for two days. National Security Adviser Alexander Aguirre said earlier that the trip of Estrada should push through to show other nations that the government has not been paralyzed by the present political and economic crises in the country. President Estrada is facing impeachment trial in the senate based on allegations of a provincial governor that he received millions of US dollars in illegal gambling payoffs and tax kickbacks. |
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