02 April 2014 – Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Evan P. Garcia renewed the call for the Rule of Law at the recently concluded ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) held in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar from March 29 to April 01. He noted that the Philippine submission on 30 March 2014 of its memorial to the Arbitral Tribunal of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) manifested our commitment to a peaceful and durable means towards a lasting solution to the disputes in the South China Sea anchored on the rule of law.
Undersecretary Garcia further stressed the Philippines’ strong support for the building of an ASEAN community that is able to project its values and norms in the international arena. He added that Philippine advocacies on inclusive development, good governance, anti-corruption, democracy, and human rights could be important elements of ASEAN’s vision of a Community by 2015.
The Philippines and all ASEAN member states reiterated their commitment to the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of the Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and the expeditious conclusion of a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC). Undersecretary Garcia stressed the importance of these efforts in view of the increasing tensions in the region due to measures aimed at altering the status quo in violation of the DOC and international law.
Current ASEAN SOM Chair Aung Lynn of Myanmar noted that the SOM meeting came on the heels of the latest regional developments in ASEAN, including the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 incident and the recent signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), which was brokered by the Government of Malaysia.
Undersecretary Garcia expressed appreciation to all ASEAN member states, particularly to Malaysia, for its support for the Philippines in its long effort to conclude a peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). In this context, the Undersecretary announced that the Philippines would be hosting a Symposium of the ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation (AIPR) on Peace and Reconciliation Processes and Initiatives on 7-8 April 2014 where world-renowned experts on peace initiatives would share their views on best practices on mediation, peace negotiations, preventive diplomacy, and monitoring.
The three-day SOM was held in preparation for the 24th ASEAN Summit in May 2014. Senior officials from the 10 ASEAN member states and the ASEAN Secretariat discussed ASEAN Community Building efforts as it approached ASEAN Community 2015, including the implementation of the Blueprints for the three ASEAN Community pillars, the current efforts to strengthen the ASEAN Secretariat and other ASEAN organs, and ASEAN’s relations with its external partners. END