US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in Manila on Saturday, the US Embassy announced on its Facebook page.

Tillerson was met at the NAIA by Sung Kim, the US ambassador to the Philippines, as well as other embassy and Philippine government officials.

He is set to participate in diplomatic meetings with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the regional bloc's other dialogue partners.

He is also expected to press China and other Asian countries to take tougher action against North Korea, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday.

According to Reuters, Susan Thornton, the acting assistant secretary of state for East Asia, said that Tillerson would have the chance to engage with China's foreign minister, but had no plans to meet North Korea's foreign minister.

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday said it is open to discuss human rights issues with Tillerson should he raise the matter during his trip to Manila.

--With a report from Christian Esguerra, ABS-CBN News; Reuters