U.S. President Trump arrives in PH for ASEAN Summit

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 12`) — U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in the Philippines for the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Meetings.

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport said Trump arrived at 5:45 p.m. on board Air Force 1, which landed on the Balagbag runway near NAIA Terminal 3.

This is his first time in the country since his inauguration in January 2017.

Trump arrived from Da Nang, Vietnam where he attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Meeting and met with President Rodrigo Duterte for the first time.

Media personnel were not allowed to cover Trump's arrival.

Duterte and Trump met for the first time on Saturday, but they did not talk about the spate of killings in the country.

READ: Duterte on meeting with Trump: We did not talk about EJK

He said the issue would mostly likely not be brought up during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit.

President Duterte previously criticized the administration of then U.S. President Barack Obama for commenting on the human rights situation in the country

READ: Trump: PH one of the first nations to close gender gap

Earlier, White House officials said President Trump was looking forward to his meeting with Duterte.

READ: U.S. official: Trump 'looking forward' to face-to-face meeting with Duterte

The two have previously exchanged phone calls in December 2016 and April 2017.

The U.S. President is expected to stay in the Philippines for the ASEAN Related meetings, including the ASEAN-East Asia Summit (EAS) on November 14.

The ASEAN-EAS includes the 10 ASEAN Member States along with its dialogue partners Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea, and the United States.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said the two leaders may discuss bilateral agreements, including the administration's "Build, Build, Build" program.

READ: Cayetano confirms Duterte, Trump bilateral meeting in November

Trump is on the fourth leg of a marathon tour through Asia that began in Japan. He has also visited South Korea, China, and Vietnam, before heading to the Philippines. Trump has issued warnings to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his visit to South Korea.

"We're actually staying an extra day in the Philippines," Trump told reporters at the White House on on November 3. "We have a big conference, a second conference and I think we're gonna have great success. We'll be talking about trade. We'll be talking about, obviously, North Korea."

Trump's visit also comes as tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at its highest in years, as North Korea refuses to back down from the development of its nuclear weapons program.

READ: Trump to extend PH stay until Nov. 14