Hillary Clinton in RP!

MANILA - United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived in Manila shortly after 1 p.m. Thursday for her two-day visit.

She will hold a press conference with Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, attend the opening of a book fair in Marikina City, then meet President Arroyo during a state dinner in Malacañang.

On Friday, Clinton will attend a wreath-laying ceremony at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in Taguig City after answering questions in a forum to be aired over the ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC).

"Hillary Clinton, The Manila Forum" is set for November 13, Friday at 8 a.m.. ANC's special coverage will begin at 7a.m.. The forum will also be aired on ABS-CBN Channel 2 at 9 a.m..

On the eve of Clinton's visit, youth activists gathered at the US embassy in Manila to protest the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), which permits American soldiers to be sent to the Philippines.

American aid officials have defended the agreement, saying it allows US troops to quickly respond to calamities.

But demonstrators said no amount of humanitarian work by the US military justifies their continued stay in the country.

"The visit of Mrs. Clinton in the Philippines will be a mere publicity stunt, and the entire promise of the Obama administration -- that it is going around the world for a renewed multilateralism, and for the opening up of the United States towards greater involvement in the world -- will be all for a sham," said Terry Ridon, secretary-general of the League of Filipino Students.

Meanwhile, the campus of Ateneo de Zamboanga University (AdZU) is abuzz with talk about the visit of Clinton to Manila.

The Jesuit-run university is among two provincial schools which will be participating in a televised town-hall meeting with Clinton on Friday.

AdZU A.B. Economics junior, Mohammad Zen Nuño Johor, is one of the few chosen to ask Clinton a question, something he prefers to keep for himself for now.

But he dropped some hints.

A member of a prominent native Tausug clan, Johor said he would be interested to ask Clinton personal questions, such as how she juggles her time being a wife and a mother, and secretary of state of the most powerful country in the world.

Johor says he is honored to be able to talk with Clinton.

Some students say that Clinton's decision to speak with young people signifies America's interest in molding the young to become leaders of the future. -- reports from ANC, and David Santos, ABS-CBN News Zamboanga