MANILA, Oct 7 (Mabuhay) — President Rodrigo Duterte is back from a short but productive trip to Brunei Darussalam, a Malacañang official said Saturday.
In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said that the President personally conveyed his warm greetings to His Majesty the Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah on the occasion of the golden anniversary of his accession to the throne.
Abella said the President also reaffirmed the long and enduring ties between the Philippines and Brunei and renewed the special friendship between the two countries.
Likewise, the occasion had given President Duterte a chance to reaffirm ties with key leaders from within and outside of the region, including Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen, Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo and Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak.
Moreover, Abella said “The President described His Majesty the Sultan Bolkiah as a friend of the Philippines in the truest and most profound sense…” and that the Brunei ruler has maintained a “principled commitment to the pursuit of just and lasting peace and development in Mindanao.”
Duterte arrived in Davao City at about 1:47 a.m. (MNS)