PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said he will push for more international synergy during the 42nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit as more countries look to the regional bloc as the “growth center for the global economy.”
Among the countries now closely monitoring the economic prospects in Asean are India, China, United States as well as those from Europe, Latin America, and Africa, according to him.
“That is why it is very important that we go and continue to discuss amongst other Asean leaders of all the member states of how we can maximize and find that extra synergy from our working together,” Marcos said during his departure speech at the Villamor Airbase in Pasay City last Tuesday.
He noted that cooperation within Asean is more important than ever as it deals with pressing issues including developments in the South China Sea, and the situation in Myanmar, which is currently still under civil war.
Also to be tackled during the event is the possible membership of Timor-Leste in the Asean.
“I will join other Leaders of Asean to advance our community-building efforts in the region and ensure the well-being and security of our people, in line with Indonesia’s chairmanship theme of Asean Matters: Epicentrum of Growth,” Marcos said.
“This is a continuation of the process that we had begun where deriving from the idea and the principle and the concept of Asean Centrality in the face of the challenges that we have to answer, not only as single nations, but as this political aggrupation that is Asean,” he added.
During the summit, which starts on May 10, Marcos said he will push for the country’s interests including achieving economic growth, attaining food and energy security, promoting trade and investment, combating transnational crimes such as the trafficking in persons, and protecting migrant workers in crisis situations.
The President will also be participating in the 15th Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asian Growth Area as well as the Asean Leaders with the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), and Representatives from the Asean Business Advisory Council (Asean-BAC), Asean Youth, and the High-Level Task Force on the Asean Community Post-2025 Vision.
“In these meetings, we will have the opportunity to highlight the importance of strengthening cooperation in the BIMP-EAGA subregion to sustain its thriving economy, the strong partnership between the executive and legislative bodies of ASEAN, the pivotal role of private sector and the youth in advancing growth and shaping the future as well as the future direction of the Asean Vision,” Marcos said.