Friends in the media, good afternoon! Thank you for joining me in this press briefing.
Four days from today, President Rodrigo Duterte will officially launch in Davao the Chairmanship of ASEAN. And in August, we will formally mark ASEAN’s 50th Anniversary. This year is, therefore, a significant period to chair ASEAN. A lot of countries will be looking at the Philippines for its leadership in spearheading commemorative activities, as well as in meeting present and future challenges to ASEAN’s integration efforts amidst significant geo-political shifts in our region and the rest of the world.
ASEAN has, indeed, come a long way since its founding 50 years ago. From a small group of 5 founding members motivated by a common desire to preserve mutual peace and economic prosperity among themselves, ASEAN has transformed itself into a 10-member Community that stands on three (3) pillars, namely, political-security community, economic community, and socio-cultural community. ASEAN had also set off the creation of so-called ASEAN-led mechanisms, including the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the East Asia Summit (EAS), and the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus. Through these mechanisms, ASEAN engages in frank, constructive and friendly dialogue with the rest of the international community, including the world’s leading economies, on the most pressing geopolitical issues of the day.
While the 3 pillars of ASEAN occupy the same level of importance, I believe that the first pillar - Political-Security - underpins the success or failure of the other two. Without peace and stability, it would be difficult, if not well-nigh impossible, for our Community to realize the other two pillars. It is for this reason that the Philippines has included “Regional Peace and Stability” and “Maritime Security and Cooperation” in the 6 thematic priorities for its chairmanship of ASEAN with the theme, “Partnering for Change, Engaging the World.”
In spearheading regional efforts geared towards the promotion of “Regional Peace and Stability” and Maritime Security and Cooperation”, the Philippines will primarily build on the achievements of past ASEAN Chairmanships, the latest being under the Government of Lao PDR.
Thus, with respect to efforts to resolve disputes in the South China Sea, the Philippines will pick up from where Lao PDR’s chairmanship of ASEAN left off, which was a joint commitment by ASEAN and China to bring the discussions on the Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) into the fast-track and to complete a framework of the Code of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (COC) by mid-2017. Under Lao PDR’s chairmanship, ASEAN and China also successfully concluded two confidence-building measures, namely, a “Joint Statement on the Observance of the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea in the South China Sea” and “Adoption of Guidelines for Hotline Communications among Senior Officials of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of ASEAN Member States and China in Response to Maritime Emergencies in the Implementation of the DOC.
During our Chairmanship of ASEAN, we will intensify efforts to ensure the completion of a framework of the COC within the first half of the year. We will also work closely with China and the rest of ASEAN to ensure the effective implementation of, and compliance with, the two confidence building measures.
But apart from ASEAN’s past and on-going efforts to promote regional peace and stability and maritime security and cooperation, the Philippines will also bring to the table a number of significant measures that the Duterte Administration has successfully initiated or helped push forward, including the following:
Return of Filipino fishermen to the Scarborough Shoal
I personally consider the return of our Filipino fishermen to the Scarborough Shoal as a victory for the rule of law, which the Philippines is internationally known for as a fierce advocate of. It also demonstrates the effectiveness of the pragmatic approach that we have adopted in dealing with China concerning this highly contentious issue. This pragmatic approach had meant working on other aspects of our bilateral relations with China as confidence building measures until such time that both sides are ready to discuss the South China Sea issue with greater flexibility and openness in finding a final resolution of the dispute. The end-result is the return of our Filipino fishermen to the Scarborough Shoal without the Philippines asking China to let them go back, and the de-escalation of tension in the Scarborough shoal area and the region as a whole.
Trilateral Maritime Security Cooperation with Malaysia and Indonesia
To address the unabated incidence of piracy and kidnapping-for-ransom in the seas bordering the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia, we have entered into a trilateral cooperation agreement the latter two countries to protect our common maritime borders with them. We believe that this trilateral security arrangement is a good model for the rest of the region as a means of promoting regional peace and stability.
Bilateral Coast Guards Agreement with China
In October 2016 during President Duterte’s visit to China, the Philippines and China signed a Cooperation Agreement to strengthen mutual trust and confidence between their Coast Guards and to prevent misunderstandings at sea. In implementation of that Agreement, the Philippines hosted the first organizational meeting of the PH-China Joint Coast Guard Committee (JCGC) last month and will host the inaugural meeting in February 2017.
Common ASEAN Response to the Situation in the Northern Rakhine State of Myanmar
In mid-December last, we participated in an informal meeting of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers that was convened by the Myanmar government to discuss the situation in the Northern Rakhine State of Myanmar. During the meeting, we called for the extension of humanitarian assistance to the Northern Rakhine State of Myanmar but were careful to emphasize that this is done in a manner and at a time that is acceptable to the Government of Myanmar. By doing so, we helped promote respect for the core ASEAN principle of “non-interference in domestic affairs” and at the same time encouraged continuation of ASEAN’s time-honored practice of extending humanitarian assistance to one another in time of need.
I wish to emphasize that our meeting in Myanmar achieved another equally important breakthrough which was to demonstrate to the rest of the world that ASEAN can take care of problems happening in its own backyard.
Strong Regional Response Against Trafficking in Persons
After shepherding the discussions that led to the adoption of the ASEAN Convention on Trafficking in Persons (ACTIP) in 2015, the Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crimes-Philippines, through the Philippine Center for Transnational Crimes (PCTC), hosted several meetings in the last few months that successfully led to the adoption of a draft Multi-Sectoral Work Plan to implement the ACTIP and its Accompanying Plan of Action. We will work hard to ensure early Philippine ratification of ACTIP so that during our chairmanship, we can focus on working for ACTIP’s entry into the force and adoption of the Work Plan to boost regional efforts to prevent TIP, provide assistance to victims of TIP, and effectively prosecute human traffickers.
Countering Violent Extremism
In cooperation with regional partners, the Philippines is co-chairing capacity building initiatives within the ASEAN Regional Forum to address violent extremism in all its forms. The initiatives include workshops and high-level conferences as well as a Manila Declaration to Combat the Rise of Radicalization and Violent Extremism.
With these initial achievements on top of on-going efforts of ASEAN in all three pillars of the Community, I believe that the Philippines is well-placed to make substantial contributions, if not a lasting imprint, on ASEAN as we take on the chairmanship for 2017.
Thank you.
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