Palace: Lugar’s visit to Phl a farewell tour

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang hinted yesterday that the visit of US Sen. Richard Lugar to the Philippines may be a “farewell tour” because the legislator is on his way out of the US Senate as the representative of the state of Indiana.

“Sen. Richard Lugar is a friend, so he decided to drop by and pay a courtesy call on the President,” Secretary Edwin Lacierda said, prior to the lawmaker’s meeting with President Aquino.

He said Aquino also visited Lugar when he went to the US.

Lacierda, however, refused to give details on what will be discussed at their meeting, because the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will be in charge of issuing a press statement afterwards.

The most senior senator, Lugar has held his seat for six terms since 1977.

He was instrumental in the exile of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos and the installation of former President Cory Aquino in February 1986.

The US lawmaker is in Manila for a five-day visit, during which he will meet with top-level officials to discuss, reportedly, the reduction of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, in Southeast Asia.

He will be here until Oct. 31 and will also meet with Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario.

Lugar headed an official team of foreign election observers for the 1986 presidential elections, during which he called out Marcos for delaying the reporting of votes to manipulate the final count.

A press statement from the US embassy in Manila said that Lugar’s visit is aimed to expand the Nunn-Lugar Global Cooperative Threat Reduction program, which focuses on dismantling nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and reducing their stockpiles.