MANILA, Philippines- In a grand gala Dinner hosted by the President himself, Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte, leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and dialogue partner countries were in a celebratory mood for the golden year of ASEAN Summit.
Duterte shared a toast to US President Donald Trump who was sitting beside him, and to fellow leaders including Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, Lao People’s Democratic Republic Prime Minister Thoughloun Sisoulith, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phu, Malayasian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Adern.
First Lady Honeylet Avanceña, is with Pres. Duterte in welcoming the world leaders to the Philippines dressed in Barong Tagalog made by Filipino designers, Albert Andrade, Rajo Laurel, and Randy Ortiz.
The entrance to SMX Arena was in a very festive mood, adorned with five artisan giant Christmas lanterns, unique in the province of San Fernando, Pampanga.
The menu included simple yet elevated Filipno dishes like ensaladang ubod at alugbati (heart of palm and malabar spinach salad), sinigang na maya maya sa miso (soured red snapper in miso broth), bistek sushi (Filipino steak sushi), charcoal grilled apahap fillet with tomcat-mango sambal. And there’s dessert called “budin”, a Filipino caramel flan.
I’m proud that the #ASEAN2017 #GalaDinner hosted by the #Philippines is tasteful but not extravagant 🙂 pic.twitter.com/4UgR7Qv2V6
— Karen Jimeno (@AttyKarenJimeno) November 12, 2017
The fiesta atmosphere was complete with Filipino marching band, live orchestra, and a great performance from world-renowned performers like singers: Lani Misalucha, Jed Madela, Jonalyn Viray, and Darren Espanto, dancers, ballet performers, and musicians. The excellent performance showcasing the Filipino artistry, talent and culture earned standing ovation among the crowd of leaders, especially from US President Donald Trump who was very amazed at the spectacular talent of Filipinos.
#PresidentDuterte sings #Ikaw with #PilitaCorales, upon request of @realDonaldTrump. #Asean2017 pic.twitter.com/VjGCVeOeqG
— Karen Jimeno (@AttyKarenJimeno) November 12, 2017
Upon the request of Trump, Duterte belted his favorite song Ikaw to the amazement of other world leaders.
#PresidentDuterte sings #Ikaw with #PilitaCorales, upon request of @realDonaldTrump. #Asean2017 pic.twitter.com/VjGCVeOeqG
— Karen Jimeno (@AttyKarenJimeno) November 12, 2017
