Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will not attend a summit of leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta this weekend.
“The President will not personally attend. But I’m sure that our Department of Foreign Affairs will be there,” said government spokesman Harry Roque in a press briefing on April 22.
Roque said Duterte would not join because of the “face-to-face” requirements of the meeting.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. has been designated as special envoy to the meeting that will be held on April 24 at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia.
“The Philippines strongly supported the convening of the meeting even without the full attendance of all ASEAN leaders,” read a statement from the Foreign Affairs office.
It said the meeting will address “urgent matters in the region, including recovery efforts, the situation in Myanmar, ASEAN community building efforts, external relations, and regional and international issues.”
“The president has decided to remain in the country to attend to pressing domestic concerns in light of the surge of COVID-19 cases,” read the government statement.
