President Rodrigo Duterte returned to the Philippines early Friday after attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Leaders’ Gathering in Bali, Indonesia.
The President left the country on Wednesday night after visiting the wake of the five slain Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agents at Camp Siongco in Maguindanao.
READ: Duterte leaves for Asean leaders’ meet in Bali
The inaugural Asean Leaders’ Gathering is a special meeting of the region’s leaders with International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde, World Bank (WB) president Jim Yong-kim and United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres.
In the meeting, Duterte highlighted the administration’s efforts in improving its performance to achieve the Asean’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
Duterte also called for a deeper cooperation among the Asean community and all attending international bodies.
He underscored that only a stronger Asean would allow the regional bloc “to effectively deal with regional and global economic powerhouses.”
Among the officials who joined the President were Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia, Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar and Special Assistant to the President Bong Go.