MANILA — The late arrival of United States President Donald J. Trump will not disrupt the schedule of the 49th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit on Nov. 17, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced on Friday.

According to the ASEAN organizers' media advisory, Mr. Trump is not scheduled to land in Manila until 5:30 p.m. The summit's closing ceremony, to be led by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., begins at 5:00 p.m., during which the Philippines will hand over the ASEAN Chairship to Singapore. The handover transfers ASEAN's annually rotating chairmanship, placing the regional bloc's leadership — and the agenda-setting role that comes with it — in Singapore's hands for the coming year.

Asked whether the culminating program would be affected by the US President's arrival, DFA Spokesperson for ASEAN Affairs Dominic Xavier M. Imperial told reporters that all activities will proceed as scheduled.

“Nothing will be pushed back,” Mr. Imperial said. “We will proceed as planned with regard to the preparations, especially on the closing ceremony.”

Mr. Trump is also set to take part in the day's culminating US-ASEAN Special Summit, to be held immediately after the closing ceremony. The session brings leader-level engagement between Washington and the regional bloc to the summit's final day.

“So that summit will still take place despite the late arrival of the President,” the DFA spokesperson noted.

The organizers' media advisory further indicated that Mr. Trump will remain in the country until Tuesday, Nov. 18. Mr. Imperial said the extended stay is intended for bilateral engagements, though he had no information regarding the specifics of those meetings, which have yet to be announced.

Source: BusinessWorld — Francesca S. Abalos