NAIA Terminal II, Pasay City
10 May 2014
President Benigno S. Aquino III left the country at 1:20 pm onboard Philippine Airlines Flight PR001 bound for Nay Pyi Taw, Republic of the Union of Myanmar to attend the 24th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.
In his departure message, President Aquino said that he will call on the ASEAN leaders to support and adhere to the rule of law in resolving territorial disputes. This follows the Philippine government’s decision to submit a complaint case, calling it the “memorial”, against China over its claim to the West Philippine Sea, to the Netherlands-based Parliament Court of Arbitration operating under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
“Ang nais po nating ihayag: itaguyod at sundin ang rule of law sa pagresolba sa mga usapin sa teritoryo, upang mangibabaw ang pagkilala at respeto sa karapatan ng bawat bansa. Sumasalamin ang hakbang na ito sa ating paninindigan: Hindi maaaring madaan sa dayalogo ng dalawang bansa lamang ang mga usaping nakaka-apekto sa iba’t ibang kasapi ng rehiyon,” the President said.
President Aquino also said that his attendance will serve as an opportunity to report to the ASEAN community its recent success with the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro to serve as model in resolving internal disputes. He will thank them personally for extending their support in the wake of super Typhoon Yolanda that devastated Eastern Visayas, which was the result of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) that intensifies cooperation between ASEAN nations.
Carrying this year’s theme of “Moving Forward in Unity to a Peaceful and Prosperous Community,” the two-day summit offers ASEAN leaders to review progress in ASEAN community-building and to identify priority issues need to be expedited, as well as set future directions for ASEAN in the context of setting the ASEAN Community’s Post 2015 Vision, and to exchange views on important regional and international issues.
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