President Rodrigo Duterte cut short his visit to Jordan by a day and will arrive today, Saturday, in Davao City, according to Special Assistant to the President Bong Go.
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said despite cutting short his trip to Jordan, Duterte, who was originally scheduled to be back on Sunday morning, did not cancel any scheduled event.
In other developments:
• Duterte has offered to send at least five battalions of Filipino soldiers to Jordan if the Middle Eastern country needed help to fight the Islamic militants in that country.
He made the offer when he met with King Abdullah of Jordan II during the signing of five agreements covering labor and investment, among other things.
“If there is anything we can do, if you are short in your army, let me know,” Duterte said in a speech before businessmen.
“Two, three, four, five [battalions], I will send them to you. I will commit my government in the right side of history,” Duterte said.
• The Defense department thanked the Jordanian government for the two Bell AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters it gave to the Philippines, saying those would be a big help in the military’s ongoing campaign against internal security threats.
“The DND thanks the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for supporting the ongoing capability upgrade of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” Defense spokesman Arsenio Andolong told the Philippine News Agency on Friday.
Roque said Duterte had attended all his appointments earlier.
“No scheduled appointment was canceled. One day shorter means one day less expense for the taxpayers,” Roque said.
Duterte and his entourage left Amman late Friday afternoon.
Roque brushed aside allegations that politics was behind Duterte’s decision to come home early.
Before Duterte left for Israel and Jordan, he signed a proclamation order voiding Senator Antonio Trillanes IV’s amnesty, which was granted by President Benigno Aquino III. With PNA
