IT WAS a simple spread of mung bean soup (ginisang mongo) and rice cakes made up of biko, suman, and kutsinta that greeted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife Madam Akie at the middle-class subdivision home of President Rodrigo Duterte Friday morning, January 13.
The photos and posts of Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go went viral as thousands were surprised that the announcement that Abe intended to visit Duterte's two-storey home at the Dona Luisa Teacher's Village in Matina, Davao City, did push through, an unprecedented act by a leader of a global economic power.
Go's post showed the president and Abe at the dining table, which was right in the kitchen, a typical middle-class house set-up in the Philippines where for lack of space dining and cooking always share the same space.
Go also posted a photo of the Prime Minister inside the president's bedroom, with Duterte's mosquito net neatly folded on the bed.
“We also showed him how the president enjoys the comfort of his own bed, including his old and favorite mosquito net,” Go added in his post.
What surprised many as well was the casual attire that Abe chose while visiting. He was in short-sleeved polo shirts in all events he graced, except on his arrival Thursday evening, when he was in his customary coat and tie. His attire, however, fit the scorching Davao weather.
Abe's visit to Duterte's house was part of the two-day official state visit which reflects the deep relationship of two countries that shares a rich history.
In a press conference, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella bared the purpose of the visit was mirrored in the solid ties of the two high-ranking officials who have first met in October last year at the side of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit in Laos.
“Apparently, they have struck a certain resonant chord between the two of them,” Abella said.
Also, aside from a meeting with Duterte, Abe attended with the business forum in Waterfront Insular Hotel, Lanang, Davao City and graced the naming ceremony of Philippine Eagle Sakura with Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, who has served for several years as chair of the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF), and PEF Executive Director Dennis Joseph Salvador at the said hotel.
Madam Akie went to the Japanese Cemetery in Mintal.
The cemetery is a remnant of the pre-World War II Japanese settlement in Davao City. From 1902 until the World War II broke out, Japanese workers found a home in Davao City and the undivided Davao Region to escape poverty in Japan. The immigrants prospered in the city, but this was ended by the war where they were all repatriated to Japan. To this day, descendants of those buried in Mintal still visit every August.
Abe and his group left at 12:20 p.m. on their way to his state visit in Australia.