Trudeau welcomes new Marcos leadership
PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau yesterday vowed to deepen bilateral relations and to work together in more areas of cooperation, such as economy and climate change.
Marcos and Trudeau met on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit and Related Summits in Phnom Penh, Cambodia where leaders of the regional group and dialogue partners discussed regional and global issues that confront the world like climate change and the post-pandemic economic recovery, among others.
Trudeau foresees a “tremendous opportunity” for the Philippines and Canada to work together under the new leadership of Marcos and said he is looking forward to exploring and doing just that.
“We have some very strong Philippine Canadian members of parliament and members of my team who are very happy that we’re able to launch a new area in our friendship and our partnership and I’m very much looking forward to it,” he said.
He said the Philippines and Canada can collaborate to strengthen economic cooperation, stand up for women’s opportunities, protect human rights, fight climate change and further deepen people-to-people ties.
Marcos acknowledged this, saying the integration of Filipinos in Canada serves as a strong foundation for Philippine-Canada relations.
“They all seem to have become part of the workforce, become part of society. They have found their place and they have been given that place by the Canadians, and for that, they are grateful, and we are grateful. And I think it is — it serves as a very good foundation for whatever else that we feel that we can do together,” he said.
There are over 900,000 Filipinos working and living in Canada.
Marcos thanked Canada and its people for the warmth and kindness they have shown the Filipino community.
During the Asean-Canada Commemorative Summit last Saturday, Maracos welcomed Canada’s continued support for Asean initiatives for the welfare of women such as the implementation of the Asean Regional Plan of Action on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), which aims to support the upskilling of women and empowering women entrepreneurship, particularly through micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
Marcos also welcomed Canada’s support for the Triangle in Asean project, which promotes fair migration across the region and labor mobility across the region along with the improvement of working conditions and labor protection policies, particularly for low-paid migrant workers.
SOLVING CONFLICTS
Earlier in the day, the President emphasized the importance of “finding resolutions rather than inciting conflicts” amid disagreements in different issues and parts of the world along with the urgency of acting “decisively and immediately” on pressing global issues such as climate change and food security.
The President raised these concerns during the different fora and related meetings over the weekend, including the East Asian Summit yesterday, a social media posts by the Office of the Press Secretary said.
“The Chief Executive highlights the moral and legal responsibility to work towards finding resolutions rather than inciting conflicts as requisite for peaceful coexistence and friendly cooperation inscribed in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia. He reiterates the need for food self-sufficiency in the Region to increase resilience in the face of threats to the global supply chain, and calls on the EAS Partners to support the Asean Centre for Biodiversity geared towards climate action,” the OPS said on its Facebook page.
The President attended the 17th East Asia Summit in Phnom Penh yesterday morning. Other attendees include the leaders of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Also present were United States President Joe Biden, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Kate Ardern, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, India Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol, Australia Prime Minister Anthony Norman Albanese and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.
During the event, Marcos said the Russia-Ukraine conflict should stop and all stakeholders must resort to diplomacy, with the Asean doing its share to help in the diplomatic process.
“My comment about Ukraine is, the war should end and all stakeholders should talk as soon as possible. And Asean should do all it can to help,” he said.
The President also raised the dispute in the South China Sea by insisting that all concerned parties should adhere to the rules-based order and follow international law.
In an interview with some reporters on the sidelines of the Summit, he emphasized the need to abide by internationally accepted laws such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
“Because the trade that passes through the South China Sea is very important, not just for Asia but for the whole world. So, it is necessary, it is important that there should be no trouble in the region,” he said.
Before the meeting, Marcos talked about the need for a new and binding code of conduct between Asean and China. Several Asean member countries have overlapping maritime territorial claims with China, which is claiming almost the entire South China Sea.
The Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), which has been implemented for the past 20 years, helps to maintain peace and stability in the disputed waters.
Marcos said the South China Sea should be turned into a “sea of peace, security, stability and prosperity” instead of an area of armed conflict or geopolitical discord.
“Let us be guided by the universal principles of peaceful coexistence and friendly cooperation as laid out in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia. As High Contracting Parties to the Treaty, we have a moral and legal obligation to work towards finding resolutions and not resort to inciting conflicts. That path leads us only to perdition,” he said.
China, during the EAS, expressed readiness to work with Asean countries to uphold peace and stability in the South China Sea and keep the international shipping lanes open and unimpeded for the good and common development of all countries.
Marcos also urged his fellow leaders to continue engaging Myanmar stakeholders and to push for the urgent implementation of the Five-Point Consensus reached in Jakarta during the Asean Leaders’ Meeting in April 2021.
He also emphasized the importance of sustaining the dialogue and engagements between concerned parties to attain lasting peace and stability in a denuclearized Korean Peninsula.
FOOD, CLIMATE CHANGE
The President also urged world leaders to “act decisively and immediately” on pressing global issues such as climate change and food security.
“Our people look to their leaders, to us, to correctly navigate the uncertain waters of this new world. Our partnerships will make us strong. Our partnerships will give us wisdom. The future awaits,” Marcos said.
Marcos also emphasized the need to build on and improve existing strategies towards a holistic and green sustainable development to ensure environmentally-sound economic progress.
“It has become glaringly clear that there is a dire need to strengthen food security towards self-sufficiency in our region, to increase adaptability and resilience in the face of threats to the global supply chain. It is incumbent upon us, for our sake and that of future generations, to act decisively and immediately on climate change,” he said.
The President reiterated the Philippines support calls to sustain efforts to promote women’s economic empowerment, strengthen energy security, and promote volunteerism for sustainable development.
He also expressed support and said that he looks forward to working closely together with Indonesia, the incoming Asean chair for 2023, in continuing community-building efforts.
After the meeting, the leaders also attended the Asean and Dialogue Partners “Asean Global Dialogue” where the Philippines pushed for the development of the Declaration of the Digital Transformation of Education Systems in Asean to ensure that the youth and peoples of Asean will be equipped with the relevant skills, competencies and values in addressing the challenges of the changing and modern world.
The President also pushed for “re-skilling and upskilling of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in digital trade and technologies for wider trade opportunities.”
He also urged fellow leaders to support the fast conclusion of the Global Goal on Adaptation work program in responding to climate change.
He likewise shared how the Philippines is handling the effects and impact of regional concerns such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the devastating effects of natural calamities with the help of his administration’s Medium-Term Fiscal Program and the upcoming Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028.
BILATERALS AND EXCHANGES
On the sidelines of the different summits, Marcos had bilateral meetings with other world leaders, including Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei last Saturday who pledged to continue his country’s support to the efforts of the Philippines in ensuring peace and stability especially in Mindanao.
Marcos thanked Brunei, which is part of the International Monitoring Team and the independent decommissioning body in the peace process in Mindanao, and reported the term of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority had been extended for another three years to be able to complete their mandate and that a parliamentary election in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will be held in 2025.
The President likewise had bilateral talks with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol where he vowed that the Philippine will support the Republic of Korea’s effort to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.
The two leaders also agreed to elevate their relations to a new level that will enhance security, infrastructure, energy, as well as people-to-people exchanges.
Marcos also had brief exchanges with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang last Saturday where he accepted the invitation to visit China in January and the Chinese leader said there should be continued growth of China-Philippines relations and that the “what the two countries have in common far outweighs their differences.”
He also talked with Indian Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and relayed the Philippines’ condolences after a pedestrian suspension bridge in Gujarat collapsed which resulted in the death of 135 people last October 30.
During the summit, he had emphasized the importance of working with India to ensure better access to medicines and vaccines as the region recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.
After the conclusion of the Asean Summit and Related meetings, the President met with the Filipino community to thank them for the continued support and told them about some of his administration’s plans for the next six years.
He is set to return to Manila before dawn Monday.
‘WELCOMED, EMBRACED’
Speaker Martin Romualdez said President Marcos Jr. was “welcomed and embraced” by the Asean and other world leaders.
The Speaker is with the President in Phnom Penh, Cambodia as part of the official delegation of Marcos in the 40th and 41st Asean Summit and other related summits.
“Leaders from around the world are drawn to the Chief Executive and this bodes well for the Philippines, for practical reasons,” he said.
Romualdez said the government intends to build on the country’s 7.6 percent third quarter economic growth.
“The President will strive to turn these interactions on the international stage into tangible benefits that can trickle down into every Filipino home,” Romualdez said.
Romualdez said Marcos Jr. is among the more “magnetic” personalities in the Summit.
“Other leaders in Asia are looking forward to meeting him and talking business with him. Dare I say, the President has been like a rockstar here,” Romualdez said.
Romualdez, the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) president, said Marcos, has been receiving many invitations to attend future foreign meetings and forums.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has invited Marcos for a state visit to China in January next year.
The President was also invited to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. — With Wendell Vigilia
