Illustration by Rene Elevera
The newly elected New Zealand prime minister was the freshest face, and probably the youngest at 37, among the world leaders that descended on Manila for the 31st Asean Summit.
In her first visit to Asia and to the Philippines, she, however, caused a stir when she was quoted as saying in a video uploaded by New Zealand’s news outfit, Newshub, that the barong she wore to the gala dinner was scratchy and “quite starched.”
Otherwise, she had a productive visit, including a bilateral meeting with Mr. Duterte held late on Tuesday night after the summit had concluded.
She witnessed the signing of a memorandum of cooperation on the comparative analysis of the two countries’ bachelor’s degrees, and memorandum of understanding on a three-year joint marketing collaboration with Philippine Airlines, among others.