Philippines president will visit next month
Associated Press
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is scheduled to visit Hawai'i next month on her way to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders summit in Mexico.
Associated Press library photo
Arroyo is scheduled to arrive in Honolulu on Oct. 24 and will stay overnight, said Arlene Gonzales-Macaisa, vice consul at the Philippines Consulate General in Honolulu.
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, president of the Philippines, is coming to Honolulu Oct. 24.
She is to meet with U.S. Pacific Command military officials, tour the new Filipino Community Center and visit the East-West Center. Arroyo also will be honored at a reception and dinner at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, Gonzales-Macaisa said.
Hawai'i has a strong Filipino-American community and presence. According to 2000 Census figures, Hawai'i's 170,635 Filipinos make up about 14 percent of the state population.
Gov. Ben Cayetano is the nation's first governor of Filipino ancestry.
Arroyo visited in Hawai'i in 1998 when she was vice president, but this will be her first trip to the Islands as president.
