President Rodrigo Duterte is set to join 20 other leaders in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Papua New Guinea later this week, the Department of Foreign Affairs ( DFA) said on Monday.

In a press briefing in Malacanang, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ernesto Abella said Duterte will be in Port Moresby for the 19th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting on November 17-18.

"Within APEC, the government is preparing Filipinos to meet the challenges and opportunities of a digital world or artificial intelligence bloc change, big data and the internet things are redefining the way we do business, deliver services and education of the young specially orienting them now towards sciences, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics," he said.

As one of the best performing economies in the fastest growing region in the world, he said the Philippines has much to contribute as well as much to gain from a fruitful discussion with the other APEC members.

"We will stand tall as we advance and assert peace, prosperity and independence in pursuit of a comfortable and secure life for the Filipino people," he added.

This will be the first time that Papua New Guinea hosts APEC since joining the forum in 1993.

The Philippines hosted APEC in 1996 and 2015.

Abella said at the forum, Duterte will join a dialogue before prominent business leaders during the summit of Chief Executive Officers of the APEC Business Advisory Council or ABAC and meet with leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum.

"The President joins other leaders in affirming commitment to an international rules-based regime, support of the multilateral trading system embodied by organizations like the World Trade Organization. The President conveys his support for mechanisms that will enable our MSMEs or MSMEs as they call it to take advantage of digital and online platforms to benefit their enterprises and to bring their products and services overseas," Abella said.

He noted that the APEC adopted the Boracay Action Agenda in working towards enabling MSMEs in the region to link internationally.

Abella could not say if Duterte will hold bilateral talks with any of his counterpart at APEC sidelines.

But according to him, Duterte will meet the Filipino community in Papua New Guinea.

There are about 40,000 Filipinos and over 200 Philippine companies in the Asia Pacific country, Abella said. Celerina Monte/DMS