PGMA's Departure Statement |
I pray to the Lord for more gains for the Filipino people as I depart for the ASEAN Summit. The season has been good for the economy, which strengthens our voice in the region to call for decision and action on key issues on trade, investment, security and human development. There are four main reason why the Philippines has a huge stake in ASEAN: energy, counterterrorism, maritime security, and the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN growth area, or BIMP-EAGA. We need to pursue investments in energy infrastructure and seek wider collaboration in new and renewable energy and alternative fuels if we need to keep our economies humming, and our lights on, through the next three decades. We need a broader front of regional security involving ASEAN, the United States and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) on counter terrorism cooperation. Interfaith dialogue must pace security cooperation. Maritime security is also imperative to stop piracy and armed robbery, as well as arms smuggling and human trafficking along the vulnerable sea lanes of the region. Joint border patrols must be the norm across our common seas. We need to boldly step up the alleviation of poverty in the BIMP EAGA sub-region through investments and tourism, making the broader strategic arena for durable peace and development in Mindanao. The unity and solidarity of our people, reinforced by our big win in the Southeast Asian Games and the medals we are reaping in economic stability, gives me the confidence to represent the Filipino as a strong player in ASEAN and East Asia. The Philippines is hosting next year's ASEAN summit, and I shall be proud to invite the leaders to the shores of a vibrant nation and a strong player and ally in one of the most bouyant regions of the world. God bless the Philippines. |
PGMA's
Speech during the Meeting with the Filipino Community |
| Maraming salamat. Maraming salamat, Secretary Romulo sa iyong pagpakilala sa akin. Mga kaibigan, magandang hapon. Pwede na kayong umupo. at gusto kong ipakilala ang iba't-ibang mga panauhin na kasama ko itong araw na ito dito sa entablado. Daghan kaayo ang aton mga taga-Cebu diri karon gabiuna, tungod kay ang umaabot nga tuig kita ang host sa ASEAN Summit didto sa Cebu. Busa kauban nato ang mga opisyales sa Cebu aron makita kon paunsa ang pag-host nining importante nga summit. So, to the right of Secretary Romulo, our congresswoman from the Mandaue area, Lapu-Lapu area where the summit, many of the hotel rooms are located, Congresswoman Nerisse Soon-Ruiz. to the right of Congresswoman Ruiz, Cebuano gihapon, siya ang chairman sa atong house committee on foreign relations, Congressman Tony Cuenco. to his side, Cebuano sab 'no? Gusto ko ipakilala sa inyo ang magiging ambassador natin dito, si Ambassador Vic Lecaros. alam niyo naman na dito sa Malaysia yung mga pinaka-senior ang kinukuha nating ambassador dahil sa importansya ng malaysia sa ating bansa. Kaya nga tuloy si Ambassador Ong noon ang pinaka-senior sa lahat ng lahat ng ambassadors natin kaya nagretire na nga ng tuluyan dahil very, very senior. So, si Ambassador Lecaros ay pinili rin bilang embahador sa Malaysia dahil siya ang isa sa mga senior ambassador, career ambassadors natin. Hindi ibig sabihin ay hindi magaling yung papalitan niya. At gusto kong batiin ang charge d' affaires, si Louie Cruz sa kanyang magandang pagpaalaga noong nagretire nga yung dating ambassador dahil he was the most senior, so he retired. Isang taon naglingkod si Louie Cruz sa inyo bilang charge d' affaires. Ngayon, panahon na para siya ay bumalik sandali sa Pilipinas. Siya ang mamamahala sa ASEAN desk, at napaka-importanteng mamahala sa ASEAN desk dahil tayo ang magiging host ng ASEAN Summit. at pagkatapos noon ay handa na siyang magkakaroon ng sarili niyang embassy as full-pledged chief of mission. Anyway, to go back to Vic Lecaros, whom now you have met, to his right, ang gobernador sa probinsya sa Cebu, Governor Gwen Garcia. and to her right, the mayor of Cebu City, Mayor Tommy Osmena. to Tommy's right is the outgoing ambassador from Korea, and he will be undersecretary of foreign affairs during the period of the ASEAN Summit so that he can -- because he is from Cebu -- so that he can also help in the preparations for the summit, Ambassador Frank Bbenedicto. Sa pikas, dili na taga-sugbo apan cebuano gihapon, binisaya gihapon ang iyang pagsulti, next to Charge d' Affaires Louie Cruz is Congresswoman Cora Malanyaon. she is with us because she is the chairman of the house committee on BIMP-EAGA affairs. Kaganina gyud nanggaling kami sa BIMP-EAGA Summit. Pagkatapos ng BIMP-EAGA Summit ay dumalo kami sandali rito pagkatapos mamamayang gabi magsisimula na yung working dinner kung saan malamang pag-uusapan ang ilang mga off the record, candid issues ng BIMP-EAGA. To the left of Cora is the Governor of Sulu, Governor Ben Loong. and to the left of Governor Ben Loong is the Governor of Agusan del Sur, Governor Eddie "Bong" Plaza. to the left of Governor Eddie "Bong" Plaza is our secretary of trade and industry, Secretary Peter Favila. at sa kaliwa naman niya ang press secretary natin, si Secretary Toting Bunye. at sa kaliwa ni Secretary Toting Bunye, i-congratulate natin siya dahil sa ating pagwagi sa Southeast Asian Games, ang chairman ng Philippine Sports Commission, si Butch Ramirez. and of course, I need not introduce to you, our master of ceremonies whom I can see you love so much, our labor attache in Malaysia. So, kaninyong tanan mga Cebuano, maayong gabii. Nung ating capampangan queti, mayap a bengi quecongan. Nu adda ilocano idtoy, naimbag nga rabii yo amin. Kag kon may ara Ilonggo, maayong gab-i sa inyo nga tanan. Meron ba tayong bicolano dito? Marhay nga bangi sa indong gabos. salamat sa inyong lahat sa mainit na pagtanggap sa ating mga kasamahan hindi lamang ang officials na narito sa entablado kungdi ang ating business community din na nasa ating front row ngayon. Pag napag-usapan natin ang ating business community, pag-usapan natin ang hanapbuhay. At salamat sa inyong pagsisikap na maghanapbuhay sa ibang bansa upang makatulong sa inyong mga pamilya. at ang pagtulong ninyo sa inyong pamilya ay malaking tulong rin sa ating bansa lalo na itong taon ang ating overseas Filipino remittance ay tumaas ng 40 percent. sabi nga nila, baka umabot ng 12 billion dollars itong taon. Dati-dati 8 billion, 7 billion. Kaya naman ang piso ang tinatawag nila ngayong pinakamalakas na currency sa buong Asia at baka pa nga sa buong mundo. maraming salamat sa inyong lahat. Salamat sa inyong lahat. Ngunit gaya ng ginawa natin kanina espesyal na pagpapasalamat muli kay Dr. Becky leogardo sa kanyang mga donasyon, so generous. Kay Cherina Chacko, na isang libong musikero ay nakakuha ng trabaho dahil sa kanya. Kayo ba? Oh, very good, mga alaga. Special congratulations kay Marilyn dela Rama, pangulo at valedictorian ng skills training center. Espesyal na pagpasalamat kila Aileen Carumba -- Justin Bernales, salamat -- datin Grace Liao, Marilou Chin, Juvy Ranjit, Vic Moran, Imelda Doliente, bakit ko pinagsama? Ang kanilang ginagawa -- siguro isama na rin natin ang representante ng PAL, si Sol Solleza -- ay parating tumutulong sa ating mga OFW na nangangailangan ng tulong at saklolo. Special greetings also to Juliet Chin, Katrina Karim and Maria Allgeier -- akala ko al din ang family name mo -- because of their leadership in civic and social activities. And special congratulations to Luis Encarnacion. Biro mo nakalista sa ating stock exchange dito sa Malaysia, and Cora cross for their successful businesses. Special acknowledgment to the volunteers in the Filipino Workers Resource Center, to the volunteers of St. John Tahanang Filipino Ministry, to the Penang support group, to the Filipino Bowlers Association for being such outstanding organizations. And our special gratitude to the Malaysians who touched the hearts of Filipinos in a special way because of your compassion and generosity: Archbishop Murphy Pakiam, thank you for your love for the Filipinos; Brother Anthony Rogers and Datuk Lim Sum Hoe, thank you so much for your generosity. Itong mga indibidwal, organisasyon, Pilipino, Malaysian or married to Malaysian, nakakaligaya na makita kayong muli. Naalala ko, unang pagkakilala natin ay noong 2001. Unang state visit ko sa buong pagkapangulo ko ay ginawa ko dito sa Malaysia dahil napakalaki ang tulong ng Malaysia sa ating peace process. doon nakilala ko kayo. Tapos ilang beses akong bumalik dito sa mga iba't-ibang mga summit. Kung minsan nakikita ko kayo, kung minsan hindi. Yung huling napuntahan ko rito hindi ko kayo nakita dahil malungkot na okasyon yun, yung libing ng maybahay ni Prime Minister Abdullah. Pero ngayong gabi, masaya ang ating pagsasama sa isa't-isa. Unang-una, ipinagdidiriwang natin ang paggalang sa mga outstanding Filipinos who serve fellow Filipinos and outstanding Malaysians who serve the Filipinos. At pangalawa, dahil malapit na ang pasko, kaya maganda rin na nagsasama ang mga Pilipino bagamat alam ko na ang narito ay maliit na bahagi lamang ng buong Filipino community. Kinikuwento ko nga doon sa mga Malaysians na sa Ooverseas Filipino communities natin, pangatlo kayo sa pinaka-marami. Number one, America, three and a half million; number two, saudi, one million; number three, Malaysia na half a million pero 15 thousand lamang ang narito sa peninsulang Malaysia. Kaya lalong mahalaga yung tulong nitong ating mga binigyan ng trophy ngayong gabi dahil ang layo-layo ng mga pulo kung saan nandoon yung karamihan ng Filipino na manggagawa. At kung wala sila, talagang hirap na hirap ang embahada na maglingkod doon sa mga Pilipinong naroon. Kasi yung mga Pilipinong naroon, sila ang mga madalas nagigipit sa pera o sa batas. Kayong mga narito sa Kuala Lumpur and surrounding areas, gaya nang sabi ni Secretary Romulo, magaganda ang trabaho, more or less sitting pretty, kayong karamihan ng Pilipinong nasa labas ng peninsula ang talagang nangangailangan ng tulong. At ang galing naman ng mga Pilipinong sibilyan, nagtatrabaho rin o nagnenegosyo o nakapag-asawa na sa mga Malaysians ang sila mismong malaking tulong sa ating embahada na maglingkod sa kapwa pPilipino. maraming salamat muli sa inyong lahat. Gaya ng... Well, binanggit ko nga na next year tayo ang host ng ASEAN Summit kaya alam naman din ninyo na narito kami ngayon sa Malaysia para palakasin ang ating ugnayang pambansa sa Asya. And I'm glad to be here also at this season, not only because it's the Christmas season but because the season has been good for our economy. Halimbawa, yung dinala niyong mga dollars at ringgit lumalakas ang ating piso. At sa mga nagawa nating mga mahihirap na reporma ay nagkakaroon ng kumpiyansa ang world community sa ating bansa kaya isang dahilan din na lumalakas ang ating piso. At dahil dito, this strengthens our voice in the region to call for decision and action on key issues like trade, investment, security and human development. Kanina na nga, pinag-usapan namin doon sa BIMP-EAGA ang investment. At ang Pilipinas ay binigyan ng responsibilidad na ipairal ang small and medium enterprise development sa BIMP-EAGA regions, yung mga mas mahihirap na rehiyon sa apat na bansa ng Malaysia, Indonesia, Pilipinas, although Brunei ay walang mahirap na rehiyon -- itong apat na ito. And indeed, there are four reasons why the Philippines has such a huge stake in ASEAN: energy, counter-terrorism, maritime security, and the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East ASEAN growth area or BIMP-EAGA. Eto mga mabibigat na pag-uusapan. Malaki ang terorismo na nagaganap sa mga rehiyong ito kaya kailangan ang pagkakaisa ng mga bansa sa ASEAN. At may bird flu yung iba't-ibang mga bansa ng ASEAN. Salamat na lamang ang Pilipinas, mula ng dumating ang bird flu sa rehiyong ito, hindi pa tayo nagkakaroon ng bird flu. kaya salamat sa panginoon. Pero dahil doon naman, obligasyon din ng Pilipinas na tulungan yung ibang mga bansa kagaya ng Indonesia na nagkakaroon ng bird flu. Kasi, siyempre eh kung mawawala ang bird flu sa kanila mabuti yon sa atin dahil yung mga ibon ay lumilipad sa iba't-ibang mga bansa dito sa rehiyon na ito. Kaya napaka-importante ang pagkakaisa ng mga bansa sa ASEAN. Napaka-importanteng pagkakaisa sa Pilipinas. Napaka-importante ang pagkakaisa ng mga Pilipino dito sa Malaysia. Yang binibigyan natin ng parangal ngayong gabi eh yung mga tumutulong sa kapwa Pilipino sa malalayong lugar ng Malaysia, talagang magandang halimbawa ng pagkakaisa. At gusto ko sanang malaman ng taumbayan sa Pilipinas kung gaano kayo nagkakaisa at may solidaridad. The unity of the Filipinos in Malaysia. Yung ating malaking pagpanalo sa Southeast Asian Games at yung mga medalyang nakukuha natin ngayon bilang pagtatag ng ating ekonomiya. All of these make me proud to represent the Filipino in ASEAN and East Asia. And seeing all of you here tonight and knowing about the good work that you are doing for one another and the less privileged among the Filipinos here in Malaysia, I am even prouder to be a Filipino in visiting this beautiful country. Maraming salamat sa inyong lahat and Merry Christmas! |
Statement
of the President at the ASEAN-Russia Summit |
Thank you (Malaysian) Prime Minister (Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad) Badawi. I join my ASEAN colleagues in warmly welcoming President (Vladimir) Putin to this Summit and also in welcoming Russia to WTO. The terrorist attacks experienced by Russia remind us of the seeds of destruction that lie beneath our daily lives. Russia became a signatory to the Joint Declaration for Peace and Security and Prosperity and Development in Asia-Pacific in 2003 and the Joint Declaration for Cooperation to combat International Terrorism in 2004. I take the occasion to propose an Anti-Terrorism Cooperation Agreement between the ASEAN Anti-Terrorism Pact Signatories and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to help stem the movement and operations of terrorists and extremist elements from Central Asia to South Asia and vice-versa. This proposed interaction between two large Asian anti-terrorism coalitions should help strengthen ASEAN relations with Russia and the Central Asian states. We are prepared to cooperate in every way we can with efforts to make East Asia a zone of peace and prosperity for all our peoples. ASEAN is also inextricably linked with Russia with regard to energy security. The ASEAN-Russia partnership in this area needs to be enhanced. With Russia’s rich oil resources, it would be in a position to assist ASEAN in this area. Finally, the Philippines looks forward to its role as the next Country Coordinator for Russia and will exert all efforts to promote a most meaningful and productive relation between us. |
Statement
of the President at the ASEAN-India Summit |
| Thank you, Prime Minister Abdullah, for
the excellent arrangements made by Malaysia for this 4th ASEAN-India Summit. I take this opportunity to condemn and deplore the series of terrorist bombings in New Delhi last 29 October resulting in 62 dead and 210 injured. The attacks are horrifying reminders that the fight against terrorism is far from over and we need a broader front for regional security. We adopted in October 2003 in Bali the ASEAN-India Joint Declaration for Cooperation to Combat Terrorism. To implement the Declaration, the first ASEAN SOMTC+India Consultation was convened last June in Siem Reap, during which our officials discussed the identification of nodal agencies, workshops on terrorism, transnational crime and terrorist financing, and training program. From these modest beginnings, we should be able to draw up a practical coordinated strategy to combat terrorism through greater law enforcement, legal cooperation, and intelligence exchange. Interfaith dialogue must pace security cooperation. To illustrate, the Philippines’ peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front is perhaps the only one in the world that includes a component on counter-terrorism cooperation. I believe Southeast Asia and India have an important role to play in promoting interfaith dialogue. Let me now turn to another topic of mutual interest to ASEAN and India-- maritime security. Since the mid-1990’s, the world’s oceans began to show an increase in piracy and armed robbery attacks. Most of these attacks occurred in the South China Sea, the Malacca Straits, and the Andaman. There is a need for a network of cooperation on information exchange, capacity-building efforts among various coast guards especially in the areas of education and training, mutual assistance in investigation, joint exercise programs, and even coordinated or combined patrol operations. The Philippines is a signatory to the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Anti-Piracy and hopes that with the establishment of the International Sharing Center, regional anti-piracy cooperation will be given a major boost and be more institutionalized. Moreover, a component in the action plan of the ASEAN Security Community has been dedicated to maritime security, safety, and environment protection. We call on India to consider actively cooperating with ASEAN in this regard. We all know that India, together with China, have tremendous energy requirements for fuelling their equally tremendous growth. It is therefore important that India work with its Asian neighbors in addressing energy security. We should enlarge the scope of investments in relevant energy infrastructure and consolidate collaboration in new and renewable energy, conservation and alternative fuels. |
Statement
of the President at the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Summit |
| The situation on the Korean Peninsula
binds us in our common interest for peace and stability in the region, acting as a spur of
cooperation in a wide range of areas. The ASEAN-ROK Plan of Action on energy security is timely and relevant. Korean business is already investing heavily in electric power plants in the Philippines, and contributing to the electrification of our countryside. With the Plan of Action in place, we should be able to work more effectively to secure energy resources for our region:
As a final word, we need to boldly step up the alleviation of poverty in the BIMP-EAGA sub-region through investments and tourism. I wish to renew the call for the ROK to invest in the BIMP-EAGA and encourage its businessmen to trade with the EAGA private sector. Korean tourists are very visible in the sub-region and we invite more of them to come. |
Statement
of the President at the ASEAN-Japan Summit |
| I thank Prime Minister (Dato Seri
Abdullah Ahmad) Badawi for the excellent arrangements made by Malaysia in hosting this 9th
ASEAN + Japan Summit. The ASEAN-Japan partnership is the oldest among ASEAN’S relations with the Plus Three partners. The ASEAN-Japan Plan of Action has gained momentum this year, especially political and security cooperation. Some ASEAN countries, including the Philippines, entered into a Regional Cooperation Agreement in Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia with Japan. More recently, our Ministers were informed of Japan’s plan to launch an ASEAN-Japan Counter-Terrorism Dialogue early next year. We find the Japanese initiatives timely and responsive. We need a broad front of regional security involving counter-terrorism cooperation. Maritime security is also imperative to stop piracy and armed robbery, as well as arms smuggling and human trafficking along the vulnerable sea lanes of the ASEAN-Japan region. Joint border patrols must be the norm across our common seas. ASEAN and Japan have over six years of productive partnership under the SOME-METI energy cooperation framework. For example, METI has provided technical assistance for feasibility studies on oil stockpiling and is financially supporting the ASEAN Center for Energy (ACE) stock-taking exercise on bio-fuels. Nevertheless, there’s still much more that Japan can do for energy cooperation with ASEAN, such as:
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