Makati Shangri-La, Makati City
September 19, 2017

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte graced the closing ceremony of the 38th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) General Assembly at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel in Makati City.

In his message, the President called on solidarity and unity among the ASEAN Member Countries towards the realization of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 that is geared to make the regional bloc “politically cohesive, economically integrated, and socially responsible”.

The President also witnessed the symbolic turnover of chairmanship by outgoing AIPA President House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, who handed over the pre-signed ‘Instrument of Transfer’, followed by the AIPA flag and gavel, to Head of Delegation and Singapore Deputy Speaker Lim Biow Chuan as incoming President of the 39th AIPA General Assembly in 2019.

The 38th AIPA General Assembly, with the theme, “ASEAN and AIPA: Partnering for Inclusive Change”, coincides with the 50th founding anniversary of the ASEAN which is also being held in the country.

*  *  *