President Benigno Aquino III is set to break tradition by having his first state visit outside the member-states Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and opting instead to go straight to the United States.

ABS-CBN’s TV Patrol reported that all post-1986 Philippine presidents, including President Aquino’s mother Corazon Aquino, first visit neighboring countries in the ASEAN. 

Upon his proclamation as winner in the presidential race, President Aquino was personally invited by US President Barack Obama to visit the US. The Philippine was the lone US colony in the so-called Far East and has been viewed as a neocolony up to now.

Citing a source in the Department of Foreign Affairs, ABS-CBN also reported that Aquino’s decision to skip Hanoi and Jakarta, seat of the ASEAN Permanent Mission, did not go through proper diplomatic channels. 

But the DFA said in an Aug. 31 statement that the Philippine government has formally informed Vietnam and Hanoi that Aquino would not be able to make it as scheduled. 

The apparent mix-up could be the second diplomatic faux-pas of the fledgling Aquino presidency. The first was during and in the aftermath of the Aug. 23 hostage crisis in Manila.

During the incident, Malacanang Palace staff purportedly rejected two calls from Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang, and later when Hong Kong residents resented Aquino’s smiles during his first press conference after the hostage crisis.

ASEAN, important to the Philippines?

In a speech last Aug. 9 marking the 43rd ASEAN anniversary, Aquino said that “in my administration, we will be more conscious of our commitment to fostering improved ties with our ASEAN neighbors. We will be a good neighbor, a productive partner, and a consensus-builder as we work towards our common goals.”

“In the coming months, I look forward to meeting many of my regional counterparts,” Aquino also said. 

Aquino’s foreign secretary, Alberto Romulo, who also occupied the same post under the Arroyo administration, also spoke forcefully on the role of the ASEAN in the Aquino administration: “To President Aquino the ASEAN is an important cornerstone of Philippine foreign policy.”

However, with his choosing the US over Hanoi (which holds the ASEAN presidency) and Jakarta, actions speak louder than words – especially on what’s truly key to Philippine foreign policy.