Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 21) — Malacañang clarified President Rodrigo Duterte’s common-law wife Cielito “Honeylet” Avanceña was invited by First Lady Melania Trump for an event in New York.
“Madame Cielito Avanceña is on a personal trip to NY (New York) to attend an event upon the invitation of First Lady of The U.S., Madame Melania Trump,” said Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella on Thursday.
News reports earlier came out that Avanceña was seen in New York as part of the Philippine delegation to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), but she later denied it.
The UNGA is an annual convention where representatives from the member-states participate in policymaking for the organization. The 72nd session runs from September 12 to 25.
Melania Trump on Wednesday addressed the UNGA luncheon, attended by the world leaders’ spouses, about children’s rights.
President Duterte did not attend the convention to prioritize the Marawi crisis, but Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano went on his behalf.
Cayetano on Thursday signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, affirming the country’s stand against the use of weapons of mass destruction.
“The world will only be safe if we eliminate all weapons of mass destruction….Our signing of the treaty today affirms our unequivocal commitment to put nuclear weapons firmly on the path of extinction,” Cayetano said on the sidelines of the UNGA.
The Philippines is among 121 UN member-states that signed the treaty.
