Highly successful ASEAN and East Asia summits in Cebu end as PGMA thanks Asia Pacific leaders for their attendance

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo thanked the leaders of the Asia-Pacific region for attending the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and the related summits, which the Philipines successfully hosted in Cebu from Jan. 10 to 15.

In her opening statement at the press conference held yesterday at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC), the President thanked the leaders for the honor they have bestowed on the Philippines and for working in unity in establishing a one caring and sharing community in the region.

The President, who chaired all the meetings, said that the summits made the Filipinos proud as they emerged triumphant after the gatherings that produced several documents with far-reaching benefits for the peoples in the region.

"The peoples of Asia are the victors in these summits as we march forward in the collective spirit of hope within this century," the President said.

Aside from the 12th ASEAN Summit, which was attended by the 10 member countries of ASEAN, the President also presided over the summits of leaders of ASEAN and its dialogue partners, Australia, China, Japan, India, Republic of Korea and New Zealand. The President also chaired the ASEAN Plus 3 summit and the 2nd East Asia Summit.

The President said that the fact that leaders of 17 countries were in Cebu City for the summits "was a testament to the desire of leaders and their peoples for greater collaboration among nations" in the region.

Aside from President Arroyo, those who attended the summits from ASEAN were Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam, Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen of Cambodia, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia, Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh of Laos, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi of Malaysia, Prime Minister Gen. Soe Win of Myanmar, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont of Thailand, and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung of Vietnam.

From the dialogue partners, those who attended were Prime Minister John Howard of Australia, Premier Wen Jiabao of China, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, President Roh Moo-Hyun of the Republic of Korea, and Prime Minister Helen Clark of New Zealand.

Prime Minister Jose Ramos Horta of Timor Leste also came to personally sign the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, the first step before his young country becomes a full-fledged member of the regional grouping.

According to the President, during the summits, the leaders of ASEAN and its dialogue partners broadened trade, tourism, energy security and political integration "at a pace and scale never seen before."

She said that the end result of all these initiatives would be "more prosperous and safe communities, a region of peace and stability, and a world of goodwill and friendship of all creeds, colors and culture."

"As the theme of this summit ‘One Caring and Sharing Community’ suggests, we want to advance the sense of community and our shared interests and look after each other in terms of social justice, economic development and common security," the President said.

In her closing statement, the President made special mention of the people-oriented agreements signed by the leaders, particularly the Cebu Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers and the Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Nursing Services that would greatly benefit Filipino workers.

The Philippines is now exporting some eight million Filipino workers to the different parts of the world and Filipino nurses are in great demand abroad.

The President said that the agreement on migrant workers is "a commitment to promote decent, humane, productive, dignified and remunerative employment from migrant workers" from and within the region.

She said that the MRA on nursing services would give Filipino nurses the opportunity to practice their profession in other ASEAN countries based on their professional competencies.

The President said that the ASEAN Convention on Counter-Terrorism, which is the product of common security concerns among the ASEAN members, provides a framework for regional cooperation to counter, prevent and suppress all forms of terrorism.

"The Philippines will benefit from the Convention in terms of training, intelligence sharing and networking with ASEAN member countries," the President said.

The President also lauded the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) for its valuable inputs into the blueprint of an ASEAN Charter aimed at making ASEAN into a more cohesive and efficient organization that would be better prepared to face the challenges of "one caring and sharing community."

"We are inspired by the determination to establish One Vision, One Identity, One Community and perhaps One Union within ASEAN," the President said.

Former President Fidel V. Ramos is the Philippine representative to the EPG whose report on the ASEAN charter was submitted to the leaders in the ASEAN Summit.

The leaders, the President said, also expressed "grave concerns" about recent developments in the Korean Peninsula and urged North Korea to abandon all nuclear weapons and to work toward the expeditious implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1695 and 1719.

According to the President, through the Cebu summits, ASEAN made progress on issues of energy independence, human rights protection, economic integration and social justice.

She said that with the signing of the ASEAN-China Agreement on Trade in Services of the Framework on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation, the region is inching closer towards a free trade arrangement, cutting barriers on services such as telecommunications, transportation and tourism.

During the 2nd East Asia Summit held at the CICC, the President and the other leaders signed the Cebu Declaration on Energy Security that is expected to ease the energy pressure on most ASEAN countries because of continued rise in oil prices in the world market. (PNA)