President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III's schedule in the United States was so packed that at one point he reportedly had 13 meetings in a day, but there were a few bright spots in his action-packed working visit.
Among them? American comfort food.
In a one-on-one interview with GMA News' Sandra Aguinaldo before he departed for Manila, Aquino said among the enjoyable parts of his week-long working visit was his interaction with the Filipino communities and American comfort food.
"It was 11 years ago since I last visited America... siyempre yung comfort food nasubukan ko ulit dito si hotdog, si hamburger, tsaka si pizza," he said.
Aquino and some other officials ate In-N-Out burgers at the holding area of the San Francisco International Airport upon their arrival in the US last week.
He had pizza a few times throughout the visit, and caused quite a stir on the streets of New York when he and his entourage had hotdog sandwiches from a corner stand. (See: PNoy and Co. enjoy New York’s famed street-cart hotdogs)
Aquino and his delegation heard Mass at the Basilica Parish Church of Mission Dolores in San Francisco California Monday morning (Manila time) where he was joined by members of Filipino communities from Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Northern Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington State and Wyoming, according to the government's Official Gazette.
In his address after the Mass, Aquino told the Filipino communities that the government was able to secure billions of dollars' worth of investments for the Philippines.
"We came here to generate support from foreign leaders and entice investments, to create jobs for our people and to improve the business climate in the home country. We traveled here to carry forward every Filipino’s dream for a prosperous nation. And I am happy to share with you the news that we are returning home with very substantial commitments," said the president.
Aquino also met with the Filipino community in San Francisco.
The day before, Aquino attended a roundtable discussion with Filipino-American scientists and engineers and trustees of the Philippine Development Foundation USA. He also attended the Philippine Development Forum Gala to "honor outstanding achievers in the fields of Science and Engineering Education, and to celebrate Filipino-American talent," according to the Official Gazette.
Aquino and some members of his delegation arrived in Manila around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday. Aquino said in his arrival statement that more than 43,000 jobs for Filipinos will be generated in the next three years owing to the $2.4 billion in investment deals he and his delegation secured in the US. The Philippines was also granted $434 million by the Millennium Challenge Corporation for social welfare programs. — RSJ/LBG
