Marcos to raise WPS developments, human trafficking during ASEAN Summit

Recent developments in the West Philippine Sea will be raised by President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. at the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Vientiane, Lao PDR, next week. 

This was according to Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Daniel Espiritu as he confirmed the attendance of the President to the regional summit during a Palace press briefing Friday.

He said Marcos always jumps into the issue in every ASEAN Summit that he had attended in the past years. 

''Of course, the recent developments but I won’t go into the details of that,'' Espiritu said.

Espiritu said ASEAN member states have always been committed to the peaceful settlement of disputes in the South China Sea, especially within the ambit of the UNCLOS.

''But the thing about it that I think we should not only look at ASEAN but also the external partners; it’s also a platform for the external partners to express their support to us on the issue and most of our major external partners did so I think we have to look at it that. And it’s still a fluid situation,'' he said.

When it comes to the conclusion of the Code of Conduct on the South China Sea, Espiritu expressed hope that it will be finished soon.

''The desire to conclude that as soon as possible is always there. In fact, during the last summit and in the subsequent meetings, there has been this thrust to possibly conclude it in three years as a part of the initiative of Indonesia and the other members. But, of course, it’s not conclusive either,'' he said.

Espiritu said other regional and international geopolitical matters would also be discussed during the Summit. 

Cases of human trafficking will also be tackled as it is a common concern among ASEAN member states.

According to Espiritu, the Philippine government has been cooperating with other nations to address human trafficking and scams. 

''In fact, some of them were brought to the Philippines – some people of other nationalities and it’s happening in mainland Southeast Asia and there are businesses similar to POGOs in other ASEAN member states and so we are actually actively cooperating on that. In fact, most of those documents which are centering on human trafficking are actually also centering on that,'' Espiritu said.

Bilateral meetings

He also said Marcos would have bilateral meetings with heads of various countries, including Canada, New Zealand, Vietnam and Japan on the sidelines of the Summit. 

It will be Marcos' first meeting with Japan's new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba wherein they are expected to talk about trade and investment and defense relations, according to Espiritu. 

The President will also meet with the Filipino community. Espiritu said Filipinos working in Laos are professionals in fields such as hospitality business.

At least 82 expected outcome documents from this year's Summit, the DFA official said.

Meanwhile, Espiritu said United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken will represent President Joe Biden, while Chinese President Xi Jinping will not attend the Summit.

The President is also expected to meet with the TikTok regional director of Southeast Asia as well as creators and sellers. He will also meet with executives from the Sierra Public Company and with Capital A, according to Espiritu.

Espiritu added that the foreign minister of Luxembourg would sign the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in ASEAN.

''So it will be the last country which will be acceding to the TAC. And just for us to remember, TAC is one of the principle agreements in ASEAN which promotes the principle of peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law,'' he said. 

The theme for this year is ''ASEAN: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience.''

On its website, the ASEAN said the region, like other regions around the world, continues to face myriad challenges, including lingering economic and financial difficulties, despite gradually recovering from multidimensional disturbances. 

Further, climate change, natural disasters, and traditional and non-traditional security issues are still pressing challenges in the region. —AOL/VBL, GMA Integrated News