Duterte gave visiting Abe a cozy taste of his southern home town on January 13, shunning stiff ceremonies for breakfast in his house as well as durian diplomacy. / AFP PHOTO / Presidential Office / SIMEON CELI
(Eagle News) – From eating local Filipino-style breakfast that featured President Rodrigo Duterte’s favorites to a tour of the Philippine leader’s hometown of Davao City, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visibly enjoyed a more casual and laidback second day of his two-day official visit in the country which Malacanang said helped strengthen the friendship ties of the two leaders.
In Davao, the Japanese leader adopted a young female Philippine Eagle who was earlier found by Manobos in the wild. The eagle was found docile and did not resist capture by the Ata Manobos. The bird was found in a river bank with a gunshot injury in its left abdomen It was turned over to the Philippine Eagle Foundation in December where it had since been nursed into health.
The adopted Philippine eagle was named, “Sakura,” the Japanese word for cherry blossoms.
The adoption of the Philippine eagle was a symbol of the growing friendship and partnership of the Philippines and Japan, said Palace officials. This was also the first time that a foreign leader has adopted a Philippine eagle that will be nursed back into health by the Philippine Eagle Foundation.
Abe arrived in the Philippines on January 12, becoming the first foreign leader to visit since President Rodrigo Duterte took office last year. / AFP PHOTO / TED ALJIBE
PEF reported that there are only 400 pairs of Philippine eagle left in the wild, hoping that Sakura’s successful rehabilitation would help boost the Philippine eagle population in the country.
Abe was given a photo of the eagle, which is kept at a nearby sanctuary, as well as a fluffy toy version draped in indigenous clothing.
The normally blue-suited Abe appeared to enjoy the day as he smiled and laughed throughout the eagle ceremony.
After this, Abe and his wife also sampled the best of Davao’s fruits, including the famous durian and pomelo. President Duterte showed the Japanese Prime Minister and his wife how to eat the durian, one of the President’s favorite fruits.
Abe gamely tried the fruit and liked it.
The Japanese Prime Minister and his wife, Akie, arrived in Davao Thursday night.
On Friday morning, they had breakfast in President Duterte’s humble home. They had heart of banana salad, monggo soup, fresh fruits – pomelo, rambutan and mangoes, and various “kakanin” or native rice cakes such as biko, suman, puto and kutsinta.
Duterte toured Abe around his house and showed him his bedroom where he still uses a mosquito net or “kulambo.”
Photos posted by Presidential aide Christopher Bong Go showed Prime Minister Abe and his wife enjoying their visit at President Duterte’s home.
“We also showed him how the president enjoys the comfort of his own bed, including his old and favourite mosquito net,” Duterte’s aide, Go, wrote on Facebook alongside a photo of the leaders smiling while standing next to the bed.
The leaders later had a casual meeting at a hotel overlooking the sea.
For the Davao events, Abe and Duterte were both noticeably more casual than in Manila, wearing short-sleeved polos and casual pants.
-Friendly casual tour around Davao to strengthen Abe-Duterte friendship, says Palace
A presidential communications official said that this was really what President Duterte wanted — a more relaxed atmosphere for Abe’s visit to his hometown.
“This is what the President wanted – friendly, not so formal. We wanted them to feel at home. Our President is this simple, especially when he’s in Davao,” said Presidential Communications Operations Office Assistant Secretary Marie Banaag.
International news wires termed it as “folksy diplomacy.”
Duterte and Abe also met on Friday with Filipino and Japanese businessmen having discussions at the Waterfront Insular Hotel here in Davao City about investment opportunities in the Philippines.
Duterte and Abe had a photo opportunity with the Filipino and Japanese business groups, who joined the Prime Minister in his two-day official visit in the country.
Prior to Prime Minister Abe’s departure from Davao City, he visited the Mindanao Kokusai Daigaku (MKD) in Lanang in this city, meeting students and teachers there. He was greeted by singing and flag-waving children.
Mindanao Kokusai Daigaku is a tertiary institution of the Philippine Nikkei Jin Kai in Davao City, the school said in its website. It was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on April 18, 2001.
Among the courses being offered are BS International Studies and BS Social Services. In a brief period, MKD boasted having received accolades such as in the National Nihongo Speech Contest sponsored by the Japan Foundation in Manila.
MKD is established primarily to help the young Filipinos of the 21st century in the pursuit of academic excellence and service to humanity alongside their goal of becoming globally competitive.
Abe was the first head of state who visited the home city of Duterte.
His two-day trip began on Thursday with a much more formal itinerary in the capital of Manila, where he held meetings with Duterte at the presidential palace.
Prime Minister Abe arrived in the Philippines on January 12, becoming the first foreign leader to visit since President Rodrigo Duterte took office last year . / AFP PHOTO / NOEL CELIS
Duterte, a longtime mayor of Davao before becoming president, has made developing the southern Philippines a top priority, arguing the region has been neglected by “imperial Manila”.
Abe and his delegation left for Sydney around 12:30 p.m. Friday as he proceeds with his four-nation swing which will bring him to Australia, Indonesia, and Vietnam after visiting the Philippines.
Japan has pledged a 1 Trillion Yen (P433 billion) development assistance package consisting of official development assistance )ODA) and private fund support for the Philippines in the next five years.
(with a report from Agence France Presse)
