02 October 2013 -The Philippines participated in the first-ever  Meeting of the Governors/Mayors of the Capitals of ASEAN which was held in Jakarta on September 17 to 18. Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo hosted the 3-day Conference. The Conference theme, “ASEAN Goes Local: Contributing to the ASEAN Community 2015”, seeks to provide a venue for sharing best practices regarding the role of local governments in supporting the establishment of the ASEAN Community 2015.

Ambassador Elizabeth P. Buensuceso, Permanent Representative of the Republic of the Philippines to ASEAN, represented Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Francis N. Tolentino, who had to beg off at the last minute to help Metro Manila residents in the face of Typhoon Odette which brought heavy rains and flooding in the area.

The Meeting issued the Jakarta Declaration on Cooperation among the Governments of the Capital Cities of the ASEAN Member States in 2013 which calls for commitment among ASEAN’s governors and mayors, to contribute in an important way  in actively promoting cooperation in the process of ASEAN integration. They vowed to exchange views, share best practices and undertake cooperative activities that will  improve community building  and  ensure their respective  awareness of  and support for ASEAN.

Ambassador Buensuceso conveyed to the Meeting Chairman Tolentino's recommendations to address common concerns as well as work on doable and practical solutions to capital cities' problems in the areas of traffic management, disaster preparedness, rapid urbanization, student and school-to-school exchange.

For the immediate term, the Conference decided to focus on how to promote cooperation in some sectors including improving training capacity, promoting the tourism sector, delivery of public services and facilities, sister city relationships, and student exchanges. 

The next meeting of Governors/Mayors of ASEAN capitals will be held in Bangkok in late 2014. END