Marcos flies to Indonesia today for ASEAN summit

MANILA, Philippines — After his trips to the United States and United Kingdom last week, President Marcos will leave today for Labuan Bajo, Indonesia to attend the 42nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.

During the biannual meeting of the heads of state of ASEAN, Marcos is expected to push for food and energy security, climate resilience and protection of migrant workers, among other issues, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)-Office of ASEAN Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary Angelito Nayan said at a recent press briefing in Malacañang.

Other issues the President is likely to raise during the summit are efforts toward economic recovery, combating transnational crimes, upgrading of technical and vocational education and training and transition to renewable and alternative energy technologies.

The opening ceremony of the summit will be held on Wednesday.

Following the plenary session, a series of interfaces among ASEAN leaders and representatives and/or delegates of relevant ASEAN bodies are scheduled on the same day, DFA spokesperson Teresita Daza said.

She said the ASEAN leaders are expected to adopt a roadmap on Timor Leste’s full membership in the regional bloc at the summit.

Timor Leste Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak is expected to attend the summit as an observer for the first time, Daza said.

The President will also participate in the 15th Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asian Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Summit on Thursday.

Marcos will discuss developments and the BIMP-EAGA Vision 2025 toward promoting economic development, strengthening connectivity and the sustainable management of natural resources in the sub-region, Daza said.

“Some 16 outcome documents being targeted to be issued, adopted or noted during the meeting are expected after the meeting,” the DFA official added.

Marcos is expected to return to Manila on Thursday.

Marcos arrived late Sunday from London, where he and First Lady Liza Marcos attended the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. The President and his family arrived in London on Friday from Washington.

The President was in Washington from April 30 to May 4 on an official visit.

Tropical resort

A picturesque tourist destination will host crisis-weary Southeast Asian leaders with sun-splashed tropical islands, turquoise waters brimming with corals and manta rays, seafood feasts and a hillside savannah crawling with Komodo dragons.

The sunshiny setting is a stark contrast to the seriousness of their agenda.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo picked the far-flung, rustic harbor town of Labuan Bajo as a laidback venue to discuss an agenda rife with contentious issues. These include the continuing bloody civil strife in Myanmar and the escalating territorial conflicts in the South China Sea between fellow leaders of the ASEAN.

The 10-nation regional bloc and its member states will meet for three days starting today, with the growing rivalry between the United States and China as a backdrop.

US President Joe Biden has been reinforcing an arc of alliances in the Indo-Pacific region to better counter China over Taiwan and the long-seething territorial conflicts in the strategic South China Sea which involve four ASEAN members: Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Indonesia, this year’s ASEAN chair, has also confronted Chinese fishing fleets and coast guard that have strayed into what Jakarta says was its internationally recognized exclusive economic zone in the gas-rich Natuna Sea.

Widodo, who’s in his final year on the world stage as he reaches the end of his two-term limit, said ASEAN aims to collaborate with any country to solve problems through dialogue. That includes Myanmar where, two years after the military power grab that forced out Aung San Suu Kyi’s administration and sparked a bloody civil strife, ASEAN has failed to rein in the violence in its member-state.

A five-point peace plan by ASEAN leaders and the top Myanmar general, which calls for an immediate stop to killings and other violence and the start of a national dialogue, has been disregarded by Myanmar’s ruling military.

ASEAN stopped inviting Myanmar’s military leaders to its semiannual summits and would only allow non-political representatives to attend. Myanmar has protested the move.

In an additional concern involving Myanmar, Indonesian officials said Sunday that 20 of their nationals, who were trafficked into Myanmar and forced to perform cyber scams, had been freed from Myanmar’s Myawaddy township and brought to the Thai border over the weekend. During the summit, ASEAN leaders plan to express their concern over such human trafficking schemes in a joint statement, a draft copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said her country, as ASEAN chair, has tackled the Myanmar crisis in a non-adversarial way.

“Colleagues certainly know that in the early stages of its leadership, Indonesia decided to take a non-megaphone diplomacy approach,” Marsudi said. “The aim is to provide space for the parties to build trust and for the parties to be more open in communicating.”

Widodo’s choice of a seaside venue with stunning sunrises and sunsets and the sound of birds chirping all day complements that approach.

The Indonesian leader also hoped the high-profile ASEAN summit would put Labuan Bajo and outlying islands, dotted with white-sand beaches and even a rare pink-sand beach, under the global tourism spotlight.