Marcos: ASEAN must take decisive actions on geopolitical issues
LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia —
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) must take decisive and responsive actions on geopolitical issues concerning the regional bloc, saying the regional bloc must continue improving its efforts to advance its welfare.
*President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. (Yummie Dingding/PPA Pool)*
Marcos said this during the ASEAN Leaders' Interface with the High-Level Task Force on the ASEAN Community's post-2025 vision (HLTF-ACV) on Wednesday, May 10. In his intervention during the meeting, the President said the ASEAN of today must be better than what it was previously. He added that for ASEAN to succeed, it must be the master of its future. "Today, ASEAN faces a complex geopolitical environment which includes rivalries amongst great powers, climate change, and technological disruptions, amongst others. ASEAN itself is not immune to its own challenges as we continue to navigate our differences in the region toward a general consensus of action," he said. "The work of the High-Level Task Force requires sober deliberation of the potentials and the possibilities of the evolving regional and global architecture. It is imperative that we be decisive. It is imperative that we be responsive," he added. Marcos pointed out that ASEAN must show the world that it can respond effectively to geopolitical and geo-economic challenges "as a cohesive force." "ASEAN Community by strengthening our Centrality, and actively reinforcing a global order anchored in international law," he said. According to the President, ASEAN must be agile as the regional bloc has to adapt to the diverse, meaningful interventions needed for the complex challenges of the times while stressing the need to balance agility with stability and inclusivity. "Regionalism should mirror our collective interests, for our strength relies on our united voice," Marcos said. As for the Philippines, the President said the country continues to underscore the need "to strengthen our institutions, enhance existing ASEAN mechanisms such as the East Asia Summit, and streamline processes for ASEAN to better translate our Community-building efforts towards achieving concrete results."