When two powerful women—Vice President Sara Duterte and visiting US Vice President Kamala Harris – met for the first time yesterday, the discussion ranged from security to their favorite food.
“I love lumpia, too,” Harris said after Duterte recommended that she try out Filipino dishes such as adobo, lechon and kare-kare.
“I have lots, all the time. I have many people working in my office who are Filipino-American, so whenever we have holiday parties, there is a big table of [lumpia],” the US leader said during her courtesy call on Duterte.
Duterte shared to Harris that both fried and fresh lumpia taste great, to which the US Vice President said she preferred the fried version with lemon dipping sauce.
On a more serious note, Duterte told her US counterpart that security and anti-terrorism are among her priority agenda.
“VP Sara Duterte said that coming from Mindanao, one of her agendas is security and anti-terrorism. She said, ‘security is my first love,’” the Office of the Vice President said in a statement after the courtesy call.
Joining the two women leaders during the meeting were Duterte’s chief of staff Zuleika Lopez, Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose ManuelRomualdez, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, and DFA Assistant Secretary for the Office of American Affairs JV Chan Gonzaga, US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, National Security Advisor to the Vice President Philip Gordon, and chief of staff Lorraine Voles.