Imee Marcos on absence of US in APPF: Did we fail to invite the Americans in time?
By Dhel Nazario
Sen. Imee Marcos said that the 13th Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) is sadly blighted by the absence of the United States (US), the major Pacific power.
"The APPF is sadly blighted by the absence of the US, surely the major Pacific power," Marcos said in a statement on Friday, November 24.
"Did we fail to invite the Americans in time? Was there some failure of coordination which ultimately led to their absence?" she pointed out.
Marcos said she believes US parliamentarians should have understood the importance of their participation in the event.
"Certainly, the Americans understand the importance of their participation for any meaningful dialogue for peace and security in this vast region," added the sister of President Marcos.
During the APPF, Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” F. Zubiri disclosed that 275 delegates from 19 countries, including the Philippines submitted resolutions on political, economic and trade, regional cooperation, among others.
He said delegates from Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mexico, Federal States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Russian Federation, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines submitted a total of 37 draft resolutions to working groups.
The Senate leader also disclosed that Philippine lawmakers had also extended an invitation to their counterparts in the US.
Zubiri stated that the working groups and the drafting committees would consolidate similar resolutions into a single resolution with parliamentarians working together to come up with a language and courses of action that are agreeable to all parties.
On the last day of the forum, Zubiri said participants would produce a joint communiqué that would reflect the discussions and developments of the APPF 31.
He added that the resolution would be signed by all heads of delegations and would serve as a guiding document for multi-lateral cooperation and partnerships.