By Robina Asido

Vice President Sara Duterte will attend the state funeral for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sept. 27 in Japan.

Sara told Japanese Ambassador Kazuhiko Koshikawa she will attend the state funeral when the latter paid a courtesy call Wednesday morning.

She said Koshikawa expressed his gratitude.

"I told him that I also will bring two letters of condolences from former President Rodrigo Duterte and President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr.," she said.

Abe has visited the Philippines twice, the last in 2017 where the Japanese leader had breakfast in former President Duterte's home in Davao City.

Duterte said she also expressed her gratitude to Japan for its valuable contribution to the government programs under his father's administration.

"I thanked Japan as the number one partner in development, investment and trade in the year 2002-2021 and as the number one contributor in our “build, build, build” program in the Duterte administration that generated more than 6.5 milyong employment for Filipinos from 2016 to 2020," she said. DMS