By Bohol Island News Staff | 02:29 PM October 5, 2019
Who are with President Rodrigo Duterte in Russia?
A number of congressmen, political figures and showbiz celebrities were part of the presidential entourage, official or otherwise.
Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano took part in the expanded bilateral meeting with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in the Kremlin in Moscow on Wednesday and was also expected to be part of the bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday in Sochi.
He reportedly brought with him his wife and fellow Taguig representative, Lani Cayetano.
Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte was also traveling with the President.
A group photo posted on Facebook on Thursday from Moscow showed that the next Speaker, Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco, was also in the Russian capital.
The photo also included sacked tourism official Cesar Montano, actor Philip Salvador, controversial lawyer Larry Gadon and comedian Moymoy Palaboy, with a few others.
Bohol 2nd district Rep. Erico Aristotle Aumentado was also part of the official entourage.
In his Facebook post, Aumentado, the chairman of the Science and Technology committee, thanked the president for the opportunity.
He said Friday’s Philippines-Russia Business Forum in Moscow was fruitful.
“President Rodrigo Roa Duterte is so optimistic to improve economic ties with Russia. This relationship will gain more economic growth which we favorably enjoin right now among the fastest growing economies in Asia,” he posted on Facebook.
“Many Memorandum of Agreements were signed for the benefit of both countries. I believe that after this official visit of our good President many more investors from Russia would likely to come in our country to explore and to possibly invest because of the incentives offered by our government,” Aumentado added.
None of the President’s immediate family members joined him on this trip.
But Sen. Bong Go, a former aide to Mr. Duterte, again tagged along for the President’s second official visit to Russia, from Wednesday to Sunday.
He took part in every meeting, even high-level bilateral meetings between the President and select members of his Cabinet and their Russian counterparts.
Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo, who is also in Russia, said he did not know whether the congressmen were part of the official delegation.
He said the showbiz celebrities as well as Gadon were not part of the official delegation and paid for their way and living expenses in Russia.
Malacañang said 15 Cabinet members joined the trip—Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, Agriculture Secretary William Dar, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, Science Secretary Fortunato de la Peña, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon and Panelo.
Philippine Ambassador to Russia Carlos Sorreta attended the bilateral meetings.
Duterte arrived in Sochi past 11 p.m. on Wednesday after a two-hour flight from Moscow, where he met with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and the chief executive officer of Rosneft Oil Co., Russia’s leading state oil company.
The President boarded the plane for Sochi six hours after arriving in Moscow from Manila on a trip that lasted 12 hours. / with a report from Inquirer.net
