Shinzo Abe tours Duterte's Davao home
MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED 1:26 p.m.) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took breakfast at President Rodrigo Duterte's home in Davao City on the second and final day of his official visit to the Philippines.
Special Assistant to the President Bong Go said the two leaders spent around 45 minutes in the house where Duterte offered Japan's top official biko and kutsinta, which are two types of locally made rice cakes.
Abe also tried one of Duterte's favorite dishes, monggo or mung bean soup.
Go said Duterte also took Abe to the master's bedroom where the two spent around 10 minutes. There, Duterte showed some family photos and the mosquito net he uses when he sleeps.
There had been no renovations on Duterte's house at Doña Luisa Subdivision Phase 1 but its air-conditioning system had been improved and busted light bulbs were changed, the STAR reported. General cleaning was also carried out for Abe's visit.
Davao City is known as the "Little Tokyo" of the Philippines for its large population of Japanese who settled in the city before the Second World War.
After breakfast, Abe and Duterte headed to the Japan-Philippines business forum in Davao City where they began a dialogue with business leaders in the Philippines.
Prashanth Parameswaran, analyst on Southeast Asia, said on Twitter that Abe's visit to Duterte's modest home was his "best move" while in the Philippines, despite the focus on Japan's $8.7-billion aid.
"Smart move by Japan's Abe to visit Duterte's house in Davao in the Philippines—means a lot to him," the analyst wrote.
Abe arrived in Manila on Thursday afternoon with his wife, Akie. This is the premier's third visit to the Philippines and his first official visit during the Duterte administration.
Special Assistant to the President Bong Go, President Rodrigo Duterte and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the house of the Duterte family in Davao City on Friday, Jan. 13, 2016. Bong Go/Released
The Japanese leader on Thursday pledged $8.7 billion worth of business opportunities and private investments along with speedboats and other counterterrorism equipment to the Philippines, whose president has boosted ties with China.
Following talks with Duterte in Manila, Abe welcomed the Philippine leader's efforts to improve Manila's ties with Beijing "in light of the arbitral award," referring to the Philippines' victory in an arbitration ruling declaring China's claims to the South China Sea invalid. — Camille Diola with the Associated Press
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