P-Noy to host Obama in Manila in 2015

Some quarters were making fuss and ado over supposed “snub” to President Benigno “Noy” Aquino III by newly re-elected US President Barack Obama. This was after the White House announced President Obama will embark on East Asia trips this month. The US President’s trips will take him to Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar one after the other later this week.

For leaving out the Philippines in the Obama official itinerary in East Asia, certain kibitzers have branded this as another “snub” of the Philippines, in particular President Aquino. Duh?

There is obvious attempt to rabble rouse on supposed “snub” — where there is none. Somebody picked up the non-issue and raised this to US ambassador Harry Thomas who was the guest in yesterday’s regular Bulung-pulungan luncheon forum at the Hotel Sofitel in Roxas Boulevard.

The East Asia swing of Mr. Obama comes at a time after Mr. Obama received a fresh mandate from the American people to continue serving them for another four years. He is going on these official trips a week after his overwhelming victory over Republican rival, ex-Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the Nov. 6 US presidential elections.

President Obama is actually going on these trips when he joins other world leaders attending this year’s East Asia Summit (EAS) that would be held in Cambodia from Nov. 18 to 20. But a few days before the EAS, or from Nov. 17 to 20, Cambodia is also hosting this year’s Leaders’ Summit of the ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) where President Aquino is also attending.

“President Obama is going to East Asia Summit to show his renewed commitments to Asia. Then he will go to Myanmar, an emerging democracy. President Aquino will be there in EAS. I’m sure there they can discuss,” Thomas pointed out.

The White House earlier announced President Obama will attend the 7th EAS in Phnom Penh and also meet with leaders of ASEAN, who include President Aquino. The newly re-elected US leader will travel to Bangkok, Rangoon, and Phnom Penh. After the East Asia trips, Thomas explained President Obama has to rush back home to hold post-election meetings with both Democrats and Republicans to put the US house in order.

In the same announcement, the White House cited the President’s re-election has been receiving messages of congratulations from world leaders. Among the first to greet him was President Aquino. He sent Mr. Obama his congratulatory letter and said he’s looking forward to continue working with him in further strengthening Phl-US relations.

Thomas confirmed this yesterday saying: “We thanked President Aquino for being among the first to congratulate President Obama.” The US ambassador recalled President Obama “warmly welcomed” President Aquino at the Oval Office when the latter made an official visit in Washington last June 8.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Malacañang will hold today at the Palace press room a briefing on P-Noy’s forthcoming participation in the ASEAN Leaders’ summit and on possible bilateral meetings with fellow heads of state he will meet at the sidelines of this annual event. As of this writing, there is no official word yet whether Presidents Obama and Aquino will indeed be able to hold one.

Cambodia will fulfill its last major obligation as this year’s ASEAN chair and this year’s EAS. The ASEAN has ten member states, namely, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. On the other hand, the EAS — established in 2005 — has wider membership and its missions are already of great significance for regional architecture. The EAS include all 10 ASEAN members plus Australia, New Zealand, India, China, South Korea, Japan, Russia, and the US.

The EAS boasts the most effective membership of any Asia-Pacific organizations in comparison to such existing grouping like the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) where the Philippines and the US are also members. The EAS was established in 2005, but its membership and mission are already of great significance for regional architecture.

But the EAS does not split ASEAN as APEC does, or excludes major powers as ASEAN+3 or the ASEAN Regional Forum that includes only China, Japan and South Korea as dialogue partners on regional security issues. Encompassing all 10 ASEAN members plus Australia, New Zealand, India, China, South Korea, Japan, Russia, and the US, the EAS boasts the most effective membership of any Asia-Pacific organization.

The agenda of the 7th EAS will include a number of regional issues like maritime security and the ongoing disputes in the South and East China Seas. In our case that affects us in particular, our claims over islets, shoals, reefs, and atolls around the West Philippine Sea that are also being claimed by China, Vietnam, Taiwan and other countries near the region.

In an official statement, the White House disclosed President Obama will hold “interactions” with EAS heads of states in and out of their meetings. It stated: “During his interactions in the region, he will discuss a broad range of issues including economic prosperity and job creation through increased trade and partnerships, energy and security cooperation, human rights, shared values and other issues of regional and global concern.”

So more likely than not, both Presidents Obama and Aquino will meet at the EAS that makes the “snub” story a product of overstretched imagination. It will not be a “four-eyes” meeting but still a meeting.

Much, much earlier, President Obama bumped into P-Noy at the sidelines of the APEC Summit hosted by the US that was held last year in Hawaii. Because of the US presidential campaign, Mr. Obama skipped this year’s APEC held at Vladivostok in September.

Barring any hitches, President Aquino will have his chance to play host to President Obama and other world leaders if they will attend the 15th APEC Summit in the Philippines in 2015. This will be held a few months before P-Noy steps down from office in June 2016.

So it will be an event that P-Noy will make sure he will shine to show him as an accomplished leader by that time. We surely hope so.