Duterte turns over ASEAN chairmanship to Singapore PM

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte has turned over the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, following the Philippines’ hosting of the 31st ASEAN Summit in Manila this week.

“It was an honor having fruitful and productive exchanges with you on issues of regional and global importance which we hope to translate into concrete actions that would benefit the peoples of our region,” Duterte said.

Duterte handed over a ceremonial gavel that symbolizes the ASEAN chairmanship to Lee at the closing ceremony of the 31st ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) on Tuesday night.

Heads of state began leaving the country after the summit, with Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith the first to exit, on Monday.

Ten leaders, including US President Donald Trump, left on Tuesday and nine more departed for their respective countries yesterday.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is set to leave today after meeting Duterte at Malacañang yesterday.

In his speech after handing over the ASEAN chairmanship to Lee, Duterte said the Philippines has adopted and noted a number of declarations, statements and action plans worked out at the ASEAN summit.

In his acceptance speech, Lee thanked the Philippines for the achievements of the ASEAN, including the finalization of a framework for the Code of Conduct of parties in the South China Sea, conclusion of a free trade agreement between ASEAN and Hong Kong, and the adoption of an ASEAN consensus on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers.

As the incoming chair of ASEAN, Lee said Singapore hopes to build upon the good work done by past chairpersons and “continue our integration journey to foster a close-knit community that our citizens can benefit from.”

“We live in a rapidly changing world. To keep ASEAN a central force that can deal with the challenges and opportunities, Singapore’s chairmanship focuses on the themes of resilience and innovation,” he said.

Lee also pushed for the promotion of a rules-based regional order so that member-nations would be able to deal more effectively with emerging security challenges such as cyber security, transnational crime and terrorism.

Under his chairmanship, Lee said ASEAN would continue to work for better relations with external partners such as Australia, India and China.

Keeping ASEAN ideals

At the closing ceremony, Duterte vowed to ensure that the Philippines remains steadfast in upholding the ideals and values held dear by the ASEAN.

“We remain committed to building a strong and resilient ASEAN community. Our next 50 years will require deeper efforts on the next 3Cs: community, centrality and connectivity if we are to realize our ASEAN Vision by year 2025,” he said.  – With Helen Flores, Jess Diaz, Rudy Santos