House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez (left) offers a toast to his counterpart Speaker of the National Assembly of South Korea Kim Jin-pyo during their dinner-meeting hosted by the latter at Lotte Hotel in Jeju Island on June 1, 2023. (Speaker’s office)
House Speaker Martin Romualdez has sought closer ties with the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and partner country South Korea in a bid to achieve "peace, stability, and prosperity" in the region. Romualdez mentioned this as part of his speech at the opening ceremony of the ASEAN-Korea Leaders’ Forum held at the Jeju International Convention Center (ICC) in Jeju Island, South Korea on Thursday, June 1. The Speaker led the delegation of the House of Representatives to the forum. “I look forward to substantive discussions on how we as a collective global community can ensure peace, stability, and prosperity in the region; as well as promote sustainable economic growth and enhance regional resilience, with a focus on energy and food security, among others,” said Romualdez, Leyte's 1st district representative. Romualdez also congratulated his counterpart, Kim Jin-pyo, Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea (ROK), for hosting the 2023 forum. “On behalf of the Philippine government and people, it is a great honor for me to lead the Philippine delegation to the 18th Jeju Forum. I would like to thank the Republic of Korea for hosting this forum in Jeju Island, home to world heritage sites and a model for green transition. I extend my nation’s warmest congratulations to our host,” he said. Noting that sustainable peace is a key component of economic growth, Romualdez told the attendees that the Philippines continues its effort to reform and modernize the country’s security sector in order to uphold its sovereignty and territorial integrity, deal with natural calamities and disasters, to usher economic development. “We still have ways to go and we will look to partners like the Republic of Korea and those present today in improving these initiatives, and in working together to make sure that the geopolitical challenges of today do not undermine the possible gains of our future,” he said. He noted that the Philippines is an advocate for the importance of open communication and effective collaboration between interparliamentary bodies in addressing a range of transnational and global threats. “We hope this forum can serve as a bridge to connect the Philippines and the rest of the Southeast Asian region closer to our Asian and international partners,” Speaker Romualdez said. Other prominent personalities who graced the forum include Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Timor Leste President Jose Ramos Horta, and former United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.