<span style=”color: #ff0000;”><strong>By US News Agency / Asian</strong></span><p>The Governments of Hanoi and Jakarta have been notified that Philippine President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III has deferred his State Visits to these two capitals to “a more propitious and mutually convenient time,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) formally announced on Tuesday.

Aquino was scheduled to visit the two Southeast Asian capitals, both in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) group, in mid-September.

The DFA did not give reasons for the deferment of the visits, though Malacañang was reported to have quoted President Aquino himself as saying that “this was in line with (my) advocacy to limit his foreign trips to those that are absolutely necessary.”

It has been customary in the ASEAN-States for a new head of State or Government to pay courtesy visits to each other, and that was to have been an immediate backdrop for Aquino’s now-cancelled visits.

The ASEAN Summit is also calendared for September in Vietnam.

Aquino is scheduled to visit the United States and the United Nations in New York in late September.

In a statement, DFA said that President Aquino  looks forward to a more opportune time to discuss bilateral concerns toward enhancing Manila’s relations with the two ASEAN colleagues.

Aquino reportedly said: “I understand Indonesia can only accommodate us sometime in October. There is also an (ASEAN) Summit in Vietnam scheduled on the same day. We asked if we can do what has to be done in Vietnam in one trip rather than (in) two trips.”

The Chief Executive also was quoted to have said: “I did promise that I would limit the trips to those that are absolutely necessary. As you see Vietnam is the host for ASEAN this year and we should visit Vietnam. In keeping with our promise to be more judicious in the way we spend the people’s money, especially the fact that we have very little left, I felt it was prudent to have one trip rather than two.”

The DFA statement in full:

“After prior notifications to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam  and the Republic of Indonesia, the state visits of President Aquino to Hanoi and Jakarta  are deferred.”

“President Aquino looks forward to visiting both capitals at a more propitious and mutually convenient time to discuss bilateral issues towards further enhancing Philippine relations with Vietnam and Indonesia respectively.” </p>