Successful hosting
Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, was both the media darling and enemy no. 1 in the Philippines during his participation in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) 2017 summit in Manila. Photos of his visit to a Jollibee outlet endeared him to many Filipinos while his mention of extrajudicial killings earned him the ire of President Duterte and vile attacks from Duterte supporters.
The Trudeau episode, though, should not overshadow the successful hosting by the Philippines of the summit as leaders of Asean and other nations engaged in talkfests, social functions, photo sessions and signing of formal agreements.
As the diplomatic extravaganza happened, traffic in Metro Manila was horrendous and protesters clashed with the police. But in general, the sessions went smoothly, the cultural presentations were grandiose and that no untoward incident occurred to leaders and delegates.
But the most important aspect of the summit was the output. One report listed 24 items that benefited the Filipino people, including foreign assistance, grants, soft loans and investments.
Without question, China is a genuine superpower throwing in P1.15 billion in grants to help rebuild Marawi as against the P726 million assistance from the U.S. Add to that over P355 billion in soft loans and grants to fund infrastructure, and who would deny that as a diplomatic coup for China?
While the Western media continues to call China a threat to Asean, the Middle Kingdom signed with Asean the Declaration for a Decade of Coastal and Marine Environmental Protection in the South China Sea, expected to last from 2017 to 2027.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang talked about building a consensus towards “regional integration and advancing the East Asia economic community serves to benefit the people and the countries in the region.” China acceded to the commencement of formal multi-party negotiations for the finalization of a Code of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.
On the other hand, it seemed rather odd that President Duterte and US President Donald Trump issued a joint statement ensuring the mainstreaming of the human rights agenda in both country’s national programs. Nobody seemed enthusiastic on the proposed Free Trade Agreement proposal between the Philippines and the US, knowing the protectionist stance of Trump.
If there was one significant document that the Asean 2017 summit will be remembered, it is the Asean Consensus on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers with pronouncements for respect for gender and nationality and protection against violence and sexual harassment in the workplace. With easier access among peoples of Asean member-nations to their neighbors, the treatise should prevent abuses by employers knowing the differences in languages, cultures and religions.