MANILA — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo returns Thursday afternoon from her six-day official and working visits to the Vatican City, Portugal and China.
The Presidential entourage is expected to fly in at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 in Pasay City at 3:25 p.m. on board a chartered Philippine Airlines (PAL) Flight PR-001.
Expected to welcome her back are Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Jerrill Santos who will usher her up the concourse, and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon Jr. who will greet her at the Foyer.
Esperon will accompany the President through the Foyer honors and to the welcome party led by Vice President Noli de Castro, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, AFP major services commanders and Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Oscar Calderon.
The Chief Executive will immediately proceed to the Batasan Hills complex in Quezon City to attend the 100th anniversary celebration of the House of Representatives.
The Presidents visits to Italy, Portugal and China were aimed at further strengthening the religious, cultural, diplomatic and economic relations of the Philippines with these countries.
In Rome, the President paid visit to the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican City and attended the canonization rites of Blessed Marie Eugene de Jesus Milleret, Karel Van Sint Andres Houben Szymon z Lipnicy and Georgio Preca.
In Lisbon, Portugal, she paid homage to the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima.
On her way back to Manila from Portugal, the President passed by Chengdu in Sichuan and Chongqing, both in China.
