Philippine Intervention
delivered by
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr.
during the
ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference Session with New Zealand
05 August 2021
Co-chairs, Excellencies,
New Zealand has always been a beacon of decency not just in the South Pacific but across the world. It was so in the most perilous period of history: the Cold War. It was brave enough to insist there is a better way than universal assured destruction because it won’t stop at mutual. And now, under Jacinda Ardern, in owning up to the past, to the victims capacity for forgiveness, to Kiwi resilience, clarity, and foresight; and to the heartrending eloquence of its contrition. This the indelible picture of your Prime Minister sitting still in the Ifoga ceremony as the straw mat of contrition for the Dawn Raids was placed on her shoulders, over her head and all around, wrapping her completely. She showed what it means to be truly sorry without equivocation or reservation or purpose of evasion. If pure class was a weapon of conquest all the world would be Kiwi. Even ASEAN has something to learn about contrition.
It is the spirit to take head- on the near impossible to overcome because it hurts false pride that’s made New Zealand’s COVID response and recovery so enviably successful. And when the virus struck again, New Zealand this time did not waste time explaining; but swiftly did it all, all over again.
We appreciate New Zealand’s decision to make the vaccine available, free of charge, to all in New Zealand, including the many Filipino nationals working, studying and living there. You walk the talk when you take the last one by the hand to leave no one behind.
With the damage the pandemic has wrought on our collective economies, upgrading negotiations for the ASEAN – Australia – New Zealand Free Trade Area is a must. We look to a fair and equitable agreement; one that takes into account all our comparative advantages yet accepts giving up some; to leave us all better off than we started. It must be give and not all take.
New Zealand is also a trusted and reliable partner in the ASEAN Regional Forum. We continue to count on your active cooperation and support in key issues such as terrorism, violent extremism and disaster risk management. ASEAN can also benefit from New Zealand’s counter-terrorism strategy given its to-be-expected factoring in of ethical considerations and not just body counts; so as better to understand threats to reduce and not aggravate them; to work collectively and do dialogue; to focus on prevention and better yet preemption; and develop partnerships to protect lives and promote recovery.
Our focus is on maritime security and safety, search and rescue, and promotion of the rule of law. The Philippines likewise invites New Zealand to build on its existing initiatives with ASEAN in protecting the marine environment, in combating piracy and discouraging privateering — which is to say state sanctioned piracy; and therefore fight illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.
The Philippines aspires for the South China Sea to remain a sea of peace, security, stability, and prosperity. As outgoing Country Coordinator for negotiations on the Code of Conduct, the Philippines takes modest pride in such progress in the pandemic as it has achieved with the COC. We are pleased the Preamble is now agreed on even if provisionally; the job’s now Myanmar’s.
We welcome New Zealand’s affirmation of the 2016 Arbitral Award. The Award is the Philippines’ contribution to strengthening legal order over the seas. It must be seen for what it is: a benefit to all the world across the board; singling no one out; so carefully crafted as to be unusable as a weapon for disputation; and most helpful in clarifying maritime issues.
On Myanmar, we remain firm on the need to swiftly implement the Five-Point Consensus. The Chair’s Special Envoy must start his work so unhindered humanitarian assistance be provided. For dialogue amongst involved parties to be effective, we call for the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other political detainees and her foreign adviser. Constructive dialogue is what the Five-Point Consensus calls for; it can only happen when everyone concerned is at the table dining off a menu that all had a chance to choose. Thank you.