Duterte may go to US ”towards the end of his term”: Lorenzana

May 30, 2019

President Rodrigo Duterte may visit the United States towards the end of his presidency, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said.

“Maybe towards the end of his term he might go there,” Lorenzana said in an online interview uploaded in social media on Tuesday.

Lorenzana said Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez is urging Duterte to visit the US.

“In fact no less than our Ambassador to the US, Romualdez is urging him to go there. It’s a good gesture actually but I don’t know for now it’s up to him,” he said.

When asked about the multiple visits of Duterte to Japan and China, Lorenzana said “You know why? They’re very near.”

Lorenzana said the relationship between the Philippines and the United States has not changed.

“I think it’s the same. Our relations before President Duterte (and now) remains the same. We maintain it,” he said.

However, Lorenzana admitted there were changes in some bilateral exercises between Philippine and United States military.

“We just reduced some of the naval exercises there in the West Philippines Sea but we increased the land exercise dealing on HADR, terrorism and others,” he said. Robina Asido/DMS