PH to Asean: Agility, unity needed to address global challenges
LAPU-LAPU CITY, CEBU—The leaders of about 680 million people in Southeast Asia gathered in Cebu City on Thursday to forge contingency plans amid global challenges for the 11 economies that comprise the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), which the Philippines heads this year.
Foreign Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro convened the bloc’s Foreign Ministers’ Meeting that usually precedes the Leaders’ Summit to be convened by President Marcos on Friday.
On the sidelines of the 48th Asean and Related Meetings, the President also had bilateral and multilateral talks with Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia.
At the opening of the Asean meetings, Lazaro said member-states need to remain agile and united in addressing global challenges, particularly the war in the Middle East, while staying committed to the bloc’s long-term goals.
“Navigating uncertainty requires both agility in responding to immediate and pressing challenges and steadfast commitment in pursuing our long-term goals under the Asean Community Vision 2045,” Lazaro said.
“For Asean, which imports about 66 percent of its crude oil, this crisis meant significant increase in fuel and energy cost which eventually led to higher prices for agricultural inputs, food and basic commodities,” she said.
“The crisis also caused disruptions in some sectors, including transportation and tourism, and put at risk millions of Asean nationals in the Middle East,” she added.
The contingency plan includes a possible agreement on emergency fuel sharing, planning a regional power grid, diversifying the region’s sources of crude oil, promoting the use of electric vehicles and studying the use of new technologies, including civilian nuclear energy.
Crisis protocol
The bloc is also seeking “a possible Asean crisis communication and coordination protocol to ensure a coherent, timely and coordinated regional response to crises.”
Aside from the Philippines, the bloc consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. East Timor was accepted as a full member in October last year.
But Myanmar was excluded from this year’s summit as part of the “calibrated engagement” proposed by Thailand to encourage newly-installed Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing to hasten peace, democracy and “normal relations with Asean.
In one of the key meetings on the sidelines of the summit, President Marcos met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Lê Minh Hung, who is attending his first Asean summit after being installed on April 7.
The two countries agreed to establish a long-term rice trade mechanism, strengthen food security cooperation and expand cooperation in transnational crimes and tourism, according to the Presidential Communications Office.
Mr. Marcos also met with Brunei Prime Minister Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during the summit of the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines (BIMP)-East Asean Growth Area (EAGA), a smaller group within Asean.
Lasting impact
“As we gather today, we look forward with purpose guided by the BIMP-EAGA Vision 2035 and its strong alignment with the broader aspirations of Asean. This vision is not merely a roadmap for economic integration. It is a promise to our people that development will be meaningful, sustainable, and felt in their daily lives,” Mr. Marcos said.
“Let this summit renew our resolve to translate vision into action and plans into lasting impact,” he added.
According to the President, the four-nation summit highlighted significant milestone programs and projects that are already making a big difference in the sub-region.
“These successes remind us that regional cooperation delivers its greatest value when it uplifts local communities,” Mr. Marcos said before a closed-door trilateral meeting with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet. —WITH REPORTS FROM THE AP AND AFP
