Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s common-law wife Honeylet Avanceña is currently in New York, and according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), it’s because she was “personally invited” by the United States First Lady Melania Trump herself.
“The First Lady of the United States of America personally invited Ms. Honeylet,” Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alan Peter Cayetano said in an interview with ABS-CBN.
On Wednesday, Avanceña attended the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) luncheon on protecting children’s rights hosted by Trump and attended by the spouses of other world leaders.
Cayetano said that Avanceña is not officially part of the Philippines’ delegation. Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella also said that she is not in the country on government business, but is on a “personal trip.”
According to Robespierre Bolivar, a spokesperson for the DFA, Avanceña is in the city to attend side meetings related to advocacy work.
It is unclear whether Avanceña’s trip to New York was personally paid for or funded by the government.
When asked about this, Cayetano gave ABS-CBN an ambiguous answer, “It’s not really that relevant who pays because if it’s the government, what she is doing is for the government.”
Duterte chose not to attend the UNGA, supposedly to focus on the ongoing Islamic State-linked crisis in the southern city of Marawi.
“Just because the president can’t go, that doesn’t stop the spouse or his representative from attending,” Cayetano said.
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