The meeting falls on the second day of a two-day assembly that will address security issues in the Western Visayas region. Arroyo is expected to meet with local leaders to discuss ways to strengthen local security initiatives, the Philippine government reported.

Officials say Arroyo's trip is part of an ongoing consultation with various regions of the country to promote peace and security.

The Western Visayas region, also called Region 6, will gather "major stakeholders of the region and hopefully agree on solutions to peace and security problems through an action agenda that they themselves would formulate and implement by taking into consideration the unique features of the locality," the release said.