PRESIDENT Gloria Arroyo will make a “secret” trip to Colombia after her state visit to Japan ends Saturday.
Sources at the Department of Foreign Affairs said they learned of the inclusion of Cartagena, Colombia in the President’s itinerary only Friday and were taken aback that Malacanang had not disclosed to them the scheduled trip.
The Philippines has no embassy in Colombia. Colombia, however, has an honorary consul in the Philippines, former Miss International Stella Marquez-Araneta.
Asked why the President was traveling to Colombia, a person close to her said: “I am asking the same question.”
From Japan, Arroyo will fly to San Francisco, California on Saturday for a brief stopover before proceeding to Cartagena, Colombia on the same day for the private visit, DFA sources said. She will leave Cartagena on Monday for her state visit to Brazil.
While in Colombia, the First Couple will be the house guests of Jaime Augusto de Zobel and his wife Lizzie. The president was the Zobels’ house guests after she attended the 16th Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima,Peru.
Traveling with her this time is her husband, Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo, whom sources said will likely confine himself to the premises of the San Francisco airport.
Diarrhea supposedly aborted Mr. Arroyo’s visit to the U.S. in November when he was with the President and her delegation that were on their way to Lima, Peru for the 16th Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. The presidential plane turned back and landed in Osaka, Japan, from where Mr. Arroyo was flown home to Manila for medical treatment.
The political opposition earlier hinted that Mr. Arroyo was intentionally avoiding the U.S. because, it said, American authorities had wanted to question him about his supposed investments in a number of giant American investment houses that had collapsed.
He has not set foot on U.S. soil since, even for the celebrated boxing matches of Manny Pacquiao, of whom he is one of the top patrons.
In February, President Arroyo made a side visit to Washington D.C. from Milan, Italy en route to the Middle East to attend the National Breakfast Prayer where U.S. President Barack Obama was a speaker. The DFA, however, was informed of the change in itinerary.
Sources said she was hoping for a photo-op with Obama, which did not happen. Obama left the meeting immediately after he spoke.
Earlier on Friday, Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist Amando Doronila, noting the President’s frequent overseas trips, said “she should start arranging for asylum in safe havens before the storm breaks out in Manila.” Arroyo’s term ends in June 2010.