MANILA, Philippines — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was scheduled to leave at 10 a.m. today (Saturday) for Thailand to attend the 15th summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

Ms Arroyo skipped the summit’s opening ceremony on Friday and reset her departure from Friday night to this morning so she could attend to pressing matters at home, officials said.

On arrival in Thailand, Ms Arroyo will join the heads of state of the 10-nation Asean in a working lunch with the leaders of China, Japan and South Korea, and later in the Asean Plus Three Summit at the Thai resort of Hua Hin, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said.

Later in the day, she will also hold a bilateral meeting with Japan, take part in the Asean-India summit and attend a gala dinner hosted by Thailand.

Tomorrow, she will have a bilateral meeting with New Zealand, hear Mass with the Filipino community and join other leaders in the East Asia summit, according to Remonde.

“Her schedule is packed. We will be back in Manila on Sunday night, God willing,” Remonde said.

A friend’s birthday

On Friday, for the nth time, Ms Arroyo visited her home province of Pampanga to inspect infrastructure projects.

What was different in her Pampanga sortie this time was she spent part of her schedule visiting a friend: She was guest at a birthday celebration in Angeles City for Manila Bulletin correspondent Lino Sanchez.

“I’m 70 years old and I am glad that she’s here as I celebrate it,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez said he met Ms Arroyo through his father, a photographer and a close fiend of the President’s late father, former President Diosdado Macapagal. TJ Burgonio in Manila and Charlene Cayabyab, Inquirer Central Luzon