MANILA, June 14 (Xinhuanet) -- Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will not attend the G-77 Summit of developing countries in Doha, Qatar, this week, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced Tuesday.

    Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, who will be President Arroyo's representative to the summit, said before his departure that he would carry on with the economic, development and reform agenda of the president at the summit meeting of the Group of 77 and China.

    "As Special Presidential Envoy, I will represent our president and join the other heads of states and governments as we fortify the development agenda and chart the future course of the G-77 and China," Romulo said.

    He said that he will in Doha hold a number of bilateral meetings with his counterparts where they would touch on issues of trade, migration and development, debt relief, the rising costs of oil and United Nations reforms.

    "The summit of the Group of 77 and China provides another important opportunity for us to focus collective action on critical issues facing the developing world," Romulo said.

    On perspective that Arroyo skipped the summit for the swirling coup rumors, DFA spokesman Gilberto Asuque said that the president's decision has nothing to do with the reported destabilization plot against the government.

    President Arroyo has been haunted by rumors of her family's alleged involvement in a series of anomalies including the "jueteng" scandal and her reported taped conversation with election commissioner concerning cheating in the 2004 elections. Enditem