Manila Bulletin
ASEAN summit not the best venue to raise Recto Bank incident; but there could be an 'opening'
ASEAN summit not the best venue to raise Recto Bank incident; but there could be an 'opening'
ASEAN summit not the best venue to raise Recto Bank incident; but there could be an 'opening'
By AJ Siytangco
Published Jun 18, 2019 03:23 pm
By Genalyn Kabiling
There could be an "opening" to discuss the Recto Bank incident in the upcoming regional summit to be attended by President Duterte and other Southeast Asian leaders in Thailand, a Filipino diplomat said Tuesday.
Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Junever Mahilum-West, however, acknowledged that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit might not be the best venue to raise the incident involving the Chinese and Filipino ships amid the ongoing investigation.
Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Junever Mahilum-West
(PCOO / MANILA BULLETIN) The President is set to participate in the 34th ASEAN summit in Bangkok on June 22 and 23 where regional concerns, including the South China Sea dispute, will be on the agenda. "There is this investigation that’s ongoing, that up to the present discloses a certain fact that we did not know before. Also, we lodged a strong protest with China and we are awaiting China’s response to this," she said during a Palace press briefing. "So in the meantime that these major factors are pending, I think it would be premature of me to say that we will raise the issue at the summit," she added. Mahilum-West initially said that the Recto Bank incident could be discussed during the summit discussions on the crafting of the proposed code of conduct in the South China Sea. She said the proposed guidelines governing the conduct of countries in the South China Sea were needed to prevent incidents like the Recto Bank allision that might cause tension in the region. "In these negotiations, incidents like what happened to our fishermen will be among those on the agenda, during the negotiations," she said, referring to the ASEAN and China dialogue on crafting of the code of conduct in the vital waterway where there have been overlapping claims. "During the exchange of views on regional developments, there is an opening to raise these issues. Because incidents like what happened, emphasized the importance of having a code of conduct so that we could avoid, we could prevent these incidents from happening in the future," she said. So far, she said the joint working group between ASEAN and China has made “progress” in the negotiations on a single draft text of the code of conduct. "They have made progress, and they expect to have the first reading finished by end of this year. So to be followed by several readings, one or two readings afterwards," she said. But while the Recto Bank incident might be tackled "in general" terms under the regional and international developments during the ASEAN summit, she said there might be no "full-scale or in-depth" discussion on the incident. "It’s a very important issue, but I don’t think the summit is the best venue to discuss that issue. Because ASEAN discusses South China Sea in the context of the code of conduct, which is being discussed between China and ASEAN member states,” she said. "As to full scale and in-depth discussion, I don’t think it’s the summit, that’s the right venue,” she added. President Duterte recently ruled out the deployment of Navy ships over the sinking of a Filipino boat by a Chinese vessel, saying it was a "little maritime incident" that should not be blown out of proportion. But the President stressed that the incident must be investigated. "Then the only thing that we can do is to wait and give the other party the right to be heard. Importante ‘yan," he said. A Chinese vessel hit a Filipino fishing boat off Recto Bank last June 9, sinking the vessel and abandoning the distressed fishermen at sea. China has denied there was a hit and run incident, saying the crew tried to rescue the fishermen but was afraid of being besieged by other fishing boats. Meantime, the President will join ASEAN leaders in the Bangkok summit that carries the theme of "Advancing Partnership for Sustainability." Duterte's summit activities include attending the ASEAN summit plenary, gala dinner for the leaders, ASEAN leaders’ retreat, and the 13th Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asian Growth Area summit Mahilum-West said the summit calls for ASEAN to be more effective in responding to the changing global and regional architecture "to be better prepared for the fourth industrial revolution, to be more integrated through enhanced connectivity in the region, and to be focused on sustainable development." At least sixteen outcome documents are expected to be adopted by the ASEAN leaders during the summit, according to Mahilum-West. Among the documents are ASEAN leaders’ vision on partnership for sustainability, the Bangkok Declaration on Combating Marine Debris in the region, ASEAN leaders’ statement on the ASEAN Cultural Year for 2019, and the ASEAN Indo-Pacific Outlook. She said the President may hold bilateral meetings with some ASEAN leaders on the sidelines of the summit. "There are a couple of bilateral meetings but I still do not want to divulge them because they’re still being arranged as of the moment. But there’s a couple that we are arranging," she said. Duterte will be accompanied by seven Cabinet secretaries during his Thailand visit. They are Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, and Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Bautista, This will be the President’s third visit to Thailand since assuming office in 2016. He visited Bangkok in November 2016 and March 2017. Duterte is expected to return to the country on June 24.
Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Junever Mahilum-West(PCOO / MANILA BULLETIN) The President is set to participate in the 34th ASEAN summit in Bangkok on June 22 and 23 where regional concerns, including the South China Sea dispute, will be on the agenda. "There is this investigation that’s ongoing, that up to the present discloses a certain fact that we did not know before. Also, we lodged a strong protest with China and we are awaiting China’s response to this," she said during a Palace press briefing. "So in the meantime that these major factors are pending, I think it would be premature of me to say that we will raise the issue at the summit," she added. Mahilum-West initially said that the Recto Bank incident could be discussed during the summit discussions on the crafting of the proposed code of conduct in the South China Sea. She said the proposed guidelines governing the conduct of countries in the South China Sea were needed to prevent incidents like the Recto Bank allision that might cause tension in the region. "In these negotiations, incidents like what happened to our fishermen will be among those on the agenda, during the negotiations," she said, referring to the ASEAN and China dialogue on crafting of the code of conduct in the vital waterway where there have been overlapping claims. "During the exchange of views on regional developments, there is an opening to raise these issues. Because incidents like what happened, emphasized the importance of having a code of conduct so that we could avoid, we could prevent these incidents from happening in the future," she said. So far, she said the joint working group between ASEAN and China has made “progress” in the negotiations on a single draft text of the code of conduct. "They have made progress, and they expect to have the first reading finished by end of this year. So to be followed by several readings, one or two readings afterwards," she said. But while the Recto Bank incident might be tackled "in general" terms under the regional and international developments during the ASEAN summit, she said there might be no "full-scale or in-depth" discussion on the incident. "It’s a very important issue, but I don’t think the summit is the best venue to discuss that issue. Because ASEAN discusses South China Sea in the context of the code of conduct, which is being discussed between China and ASEAN member states,” she said. "As to full scale and in-depth discussion, I don’t think it’s the summit, that’s the right venue,” she added. President Duterte recently ruled out the deployment of Navy ships over the sinking of a Filipino boat by a Chinese vessel, saying it was a "little maritime incident" that should not be blown out of proportion. But the President stressed that the incident must be investigated. "Then the only thing that we can do is to wait and give the other party the right to be heard. Importante ‘yan," he said. A Chinese vessel hit a Filipino fishing boat off Recto Bank last June 9, sinking the vessel and abandoning the distressed fishermen at sea. China has denied there was a hit and run incident, saying the crew tried to rescue the fishermen but was afraid of being besieged by other fishing boats. Meantime, the President will join ASEAN leaders in the Bangkok summit that carries the theme of "Advancing Partnership for Sustainability." Duterte's summit activities include attending the ASEAN summit plenary, gala dinner for the leaders, ASEAN leaders’ retreat, and the 13th Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asian Growth Area summit Mahilum-West said the summit calls for ASEAN to be more effective in responding to the changing global and regional architecture "to be better prepared for the fourth industrial revolution, to be more integrated through enhanced connectivity in the region, and to be focused on sustainable development." At least sixteen outcome documents are expected to be adopted by the ASEAN leaders during the summit, according to Mahilum-West. Among the documents are ASEAN leaders’ vision on partnership for sustainability, the Bangkok Declaration on Combating Marine Debris in the region, ASEAN leaders’ statement on the ASEAN Cultural Year for 2019, and the ASEAN Indo-Pacific Outlook. She said the President may hold bilateral meetings with some ASEAN leaders on the sidelines of the summit. "There are a couple of bilateral meetings but I still do not want to divulge them because they’re still being arranged as of the moment. But there’s a couple that we are arranging," she said. Duterte will be accompanied by seven Cabinet secretaries during his Thailand visit. They are Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, and Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Bautista, This will be the President’s third visit to Thailand since assuming office in 2016. He visited Bangkok in November 2016 and March 2017. Duterte is expected to return to the country on June 24.