Aquino heads to US, Japan?

President Benigno S. Aquino III may set aside his aversion to foreign travel to enhance the country’s ties with other nations as state invitations have started pouring in his office.

The President, who is ntly in China on a state visit, has been invited to visit the United States and Japan this month, but has not decided yet whether he would go, according to his Deputy Spokeswoman Abigail Valte.

Aquino, who had earlier said he will limit his foreign travel to essential ones, is expected to attend the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York City later this month.

He has also been invited to attend a summit on open governance in the same US city.

While visiting the US, President Aquino may also grab a chance to hold a meeting with President Barack Obama, but there is no confirmation yet.

“We can confirm that there is an invitation sent, but we have no confirmation yet on whether the President will acceptg it,” Valte said in a Palace press briefing on the President’s imminent visit to the US.

Asked if the President’s invitation to visit Tokyo was set this month, Valte said: “Yes, all September.”

Valte said several countries have sent invitations to the President Aquino, but the Department of Foreign Affairs is still threshing out the details.

She said the President could not help, but travel abroad to enhance the country’s relations with other nations.

“There is a need to visit our neighbors and of course, being one of the relatively new presidents in the region, he has received many invitations,” she said.

But the President, she said, is carefully choosing which places to visit due to his “very hectic schedule” in governing the country.

The President Aquino, travelling on a P25-million budget, is in China to attract more investments and ease a territorial row with Beijing. The trip is his eighth foreign visit since he assumed office last year.