GMA returning to US in January, then to Canada

The travel bug bites again.

President Arroyo will return to the United States on Jan. 27 next year to attend the three-day World Economic Forum in New York City, some two months after her nine-day working visit to Washington, officials said yesterday.

Malacañang officials, who requested anonymity, told The STAR Mrs. Arroyo will stay in New York Jan. 27 to 29 before heading for a state visit to neighboring Canada upon the invitation of Prime Minister Jean Chretien.

This time, Mrs. Arroyo will not stop over in San Francisco and Los Angeles in California, where large Filipino-American communities are located, the officials added.

When she visited the US Nov. 19 to 22, Mrs. Arroyo met with leaders of Filipino-American communities in those two California cities.

The officials said they are now "deep in preparations" for Mrs. Arroyo’s US visit next year to "accommodate" many official engagements.

The STAR learned that during the first semester of 2002, Mrs. Arroyo will have state visits to Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom between February and June; and Japan in March.

Mrs. Arroyo also traveled to Japan on a working visit last September. Since assuming office last Jan. 20, she has gone to at least eight countries and has been out of the country nine times already.

Mrs. Arroyo traveled to Brunei and China on separate visits. She first went on a state visit last August to Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore.

Before her working visit to the US and Mexico Jan. 27 to 29, Mrs. Arroyo will have an overnight state visit to Indonesia.

She returned to Bandar Seri Begawan, capital of Brunei, for the seventh Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders’ summit last Nov. 4 to 6.

Mrs. Arroyo went to Shanghai, China Oct. 19 to 22 to attend the 9th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ summit. After a week, she returned for a state visit in Beijing.

Last Monday night, Mrs. Arroyo told reporters during the launching of the new Philippine Graphic Magazine at Wack Wack Golf and Country Club in Mandaluyong City that the government is now reaping the benefits of her "diplomatic" missions.

Mrs. Arroyo said she will be visiting Spain upon the invitation of King Juan Carlos I, whose wife, Queen Sophia is very fond of Camiguin, which was recently devastated by a storm.

"It seems we have deep goodwill there and there are a lot of ODA (official development assistance) that Spain would like to revive," she said. "Camiguin is the favorite of the Queen of Spain ... I’m sure there are many other opportunities. So those are the strategic ones."

Mrs. Arroyo said she easily called up last Saturday Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad after news broke out that renegade Gov. Nur Misuari of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao had been arrested in an island off Sabah.

"All of my foreign trips are strategic," she said. "I don’t make travels just because I will be going to a beautiful country or the hosts are very good."

Mrs. Arroyo said her foreign trips consist of bilateral meetings, state dinners, business forums, and interaction with Filipino communities abroad.