DA NANG, Vietnam (The Adobo Chronicles, Da Nang Bureau) –  President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday skipped the welcome and gala dinner hosted by Vietnam for the leaders attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit here.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano instead came to represent the President, accompanied by his wife, Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano.

In a post on Facebook, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said Duterte was not able to attend the dinner as he was “attending to urgent ASEAN hosting matters” and “coordinating safe recovery of Vietnamese captives of the Abu Sayyaf.”

Almost immediately, social media was abuzz with speculation and sarcasm on why Duterte skipped the gala dinner.

One netizen in particular asked if Duterte skipped the gala because he didn’t know how to use a spoon and fork. Writer Ninotchka Rosca shared the post/question.

Well, the newly-appointed Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque and her very good friend, Asec Mocha Uson, responded:

”The reason Duterte skipped the Gala dinner was not because he didn’t know how to use a spoon and fork.  Rather, the other heads of state didn’t know how to eat with their hands.  So rather than make the APEC leaders uncomfortable, he decided to skip the dinner.

Such a gentleman, this Duterte!

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) –  Did he or didn’t he?  That is the question.

U.S. President Donald Trump has been reported to have allegedly called Philippine Senator Antonio Trillanes a ‘lil narco.’

The comment was reported by a couple of Philippine mainstream news sources including the Philippine Star. The unconfirmed report said that an unnamed reporter asked Trump to comment on Trillanes on board Air Force One, the presidential plane.

Trillanes has descrbied the report as ‘fake news.’

Well the moment of reckoning is about to happen in the Philippines!

Now that Trump has confirmed that his visit to Manila on November 12-13 will be extended for another day so he could attend the East Asia Summit, Trillanes is looking forward to his meeting with the American President.

Trillanes told The Adobo Chronicles that the meeting will take place via Facebook Live and that the President and the Senator will be exchanging messages on Twitter, 140 characters at a time.

It may only be online but it will happen on Philippine soil!