PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. yesterday said a “very large area of consensus” was reached by member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) concerning various issues confronting not just the region but also the world such as climate change, the post-pandemic recovery, and food security.
The President, who arrived before dawn yesterday, said he was “honored” to have met other Asean leaders and their dialogue partners during his “very successful” trip to Cambodia for the 40th and 41st Asean Summits in Phnom Penh and to have the chance to “articulate our national interests” and find ways on how the country could contribute and help others.
Marcos said he also found out that the current concerns of the Philippines are the same issues being confronted and addressed by other nations, adding the “take away” that he got from the various summit is that the problems would be best addressed if everyone is united and supportive of each other and use their collective strength as the region recovers from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
“It is all the same, food supply, fertilizer prices, oil prices are the concerns. Supply side problems, similar to ours…the member states understand each other. It can’t be done individually, we need to join together,” he said.
He said he also got the chance to learn about the positions and stands of some leaders and countries as well as learn about the concerns and current situations of others.
“In all these meetings, we (also) articulated our national interests and our commitment to working with Asean and our Dialogue Partners to find common ground to address the issues affecting our region and to strengthen cooperation,” he added.
The President said he and other heads of state also discussed community-building efforts, pressing regional concerns and issues such as the situation in Myanmar, the developments in the South China Sea, the fighting in Ukraine, the application of Timor-Leste for Asean membership and explored possible new areas of cooperation with the group’s dialogue partners like the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
Marcos said views were also exchanged on regional and international issues and a global dialogue with regional and international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund, World Economic Forum, and World Bank where collaborative efforts on a comprehensive post-pandemic economic recovery was discussed.
BILATERAL MEETINGS
The President said on the sidelines of the various summits he had bilateral discussions with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau which focused on how the Philippines and these countries can deepen their cooperation in key areas.
The Philippines’ Department of Trade and Industry also organized a roundtable discussion with business leaders on micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) where he invited business leaders to invest in the country.
Marcos, the concurrent Agriculture secretary, also highlighted the role of the private sector in helping nations ensure sufficient food supply and affordable food.
“I invited the business leaders to visit and have a look at what opportunities they might find in the Philippines, arising from the process of transforming the economy, given that it seems our direction for post-pandemic recovery is bearing fruit. Our discussions touched on collaboration on specific sectors such as food processing, energy, housing, medical care, the manufacture of garments (and) bags, education, (and) training,” he said.
After his trip to Cambodia, the President is also set to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) this week in Thailand. He will also attend the Asean-European Union (EU) Summit in Belgium in December.
