Statement by
President Benigno S. Aquino III
President of the Philippines
At the 2nd ASEAN-US Leaders’ Meeting
[September 24, 2010, Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York City]

President Obama,

President Triet,

My colleagues in ASEAN,

Good afternoon.

The Philippines has the distinct privilege of being Country Coordinator of ASEAN-US relations, and on behalf of ASEAN, I thank President Obama for his invitation and gracious welcome to this meeting today.

This follow-up meeting less than a year after the First ASEAN-US Leaders Meeting in Singapore is testimony to America’s commitment to being an active partner of ASEAN.

Our common desire to intensify our partnership comes at a particularly crucial time. From this meeting a communique of deep interest to our friends in East Asia will emerge. I am confident we will reach a consensus that will promote not only a deeper, more harmonious ASEAN-US partnership, but also continued stability and peace in our region.

As I said in Manila, we in ASEAN are building our future on firm foundations laid down in the past. The founding generations of our respective governments—the leaders of our respective struggles for self-determination and independence from colonialism—established our countries as modern nation-states. In turn, they formed ASEAN as a regional organization.

With their passing from the political stage, the second generation of leaders of our respective nations, statesmen secure in the independence of their countries, began the transformation of ASEAN from a regular gathering of leaders into a fully multilateral organization. Their legacy is the ASEAN Charter itself.

The task of our generation—the first generation of leaders to be born as independent citizens of our respective nations—is to turn this Charter into a more binding commitment to our mutual economic and political interests.

Since our Charter came into being in 2008, ASEAN has been conscious in pursuing initiatives to build the ASEAN community along three pillars: political-security; economic; and socio-cultural. Our Charter provides the guiding principle for our engaging the United States.

Much can be said about the United States’ support for the strengthening of our regional architecture. We welcome and appreciate this: from the US’ interest in joining the East Asia Summit, to your participation in such mechanisms as the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus and the ASEAN Regional Forum.

We are keen on discussing strategic political and security, economic, and socio-cultural issues with our new partners. In this vein, we appreciate the US’ recognition of ASEAN’s centrality in the evolving regional architecture. I am confident that this architecture will be built on the firm ground of ASEAN’s community-building goals.

What is clear is that while we do not propose to diminish our individual sovereignty, we continue to adhere to the belief that there is much to be gained by cooperation and consultation. For this reason, the expansion of consultative and cooperative gatherings is in our mutual interest.

This cooperation is most clearly manifested in creating mechanisms that would be mutually-beneficial to our economies. The US is a major trading partner of ASEAN, and ASEAN in turn has been one of the fastest growing export markets and host of US investments. I am confident that the ASEAN-US Trade and Investment Framework Arrangement will lead to an economically viable and strong ASEAN which in turn will lead to economic growth, job creation, and improved welfare of our peoples.

In the same vein, connectivity has been a critical concept for ASEAN. We expect the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity crafted by a group of visionaries to be ready for the ASEAN Summit next month.

Given my nation’s unique geographic location, we look forward to the development of a nautical highway to ensure that we remain connected to our neighbours in Southeast Asia. Forging public-private partnerships to address development issues is a key priority of my administration and I believe these partnerships will make the connectivity initiative in ASEAN a reality.

The United States has been our staunchest partner in security cooperation in the region, and will remain so throughout the course of my administration. I thank the U.S. government for participating in our joint counter-terrorism efforts in our own island of Mindanao; for its support in developing my country’s defense capabilities through assistance and training programs; and of course for its assistance in times of natural disasters.

Today the issue that occupies a growing concern is the competing territorial claims within the South China Sea, including our own Kalayaan Islands. Such competing claims can serve as flashpoints for conflict as they did in the 1990’s.

My administration renews its commitment to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and strongly supports the drafting of a formal code for the South China Sea in which claimants vow to adhere to diplomatic processes to resolve territorial disputes. I believe this is consistent with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s pronouncements on the South China Sea made just in July of this year, supporting collaborative diplomatic processes. As a peace-loving country, the Philippines supports any efforts to deal with potential irritants in the most peaceful way possible.

There are many more opportunities for us and the United States to work together on initiatives such as human rights cooperation, science and technology, biodiversity conservation, and disaster management to build a cohesive Socio-Cultural Community.

At the bottom line is the recognition that the United States, for its part, has committed to reinvigorating its relationship with our region and our individual nations. This is occuring at a time of ever-increasing complexity in global affairs. We, in turn, welcome this reinvigoration as it leads to timely clarity, allowing all of us to fully engage with each other. This can only lead to the fulfillment of our dreams for our peoples, which in the simplest possible terms is a better, more dignified life.

The individual histories of our nations have led us to this point, where old enmities have given way to new friendships, even as old friendships have matured. We are at a point where our respective peoples can look forward to deepening their ties—political, commercial, and cultural—not only with their neighbors, but with all the nations of this world. All our citizens ask of us to keep the peace, to be prudent stewards of our planet, and to ensure that the benefits of growth redound to all, and not merely a few.

We have it in our hands to connect East and West, not in the ways that caused so much misunderstanding in the past, but rather, on the basis of what we can all hold in common today: a world in which our peoples and ourselves, have been born free citizens, and therefore, can engage in genuine cooperation.

Let us begin by sending a message to the world: ASEAN is a force –for good, for peace, and for the continued prosperity of our respective peoples.

Thank you.

Statement of
His Excellency Benigno S. Aquino III
President of the Philippines
Before the 65th General Assembly of the United Nations
[September 24, 2010, United Nations, New York City]

Mr. President:

Allow me to convey the greetings of the Filipino people to you and the delegates gathered for the 65th session of the UN General Assembly.

The United Nations was founded on the belief that in collective action lies collective security. It is when nations reach across their borders that the immense problems of our age begin to be manageable.

In a world that has become increasingly globalized, the challenges that we face have become globalized as well. Climate change; pandemics; terrorism and weapons of mass destruction; transnational organized crime such as human trafficking and the illicit drug trade; the continuing vulnerability of migrants, women, persons with disabilities, and the poor; and the challenges posed by increasingly interconnected economies all call for a further strengthening of international cooperation.

All of us here, representing our respective nations, are stewards entrusted with the well-being of our respective peoples. We are also called to be responsible and responsive members of the community of nations. Clearly, we are already aware that the problem of one poses a problem for all. Any solution, then, depends on us recognizing that each of our nations does not exist in a vacuum, but rather, in an increasingly interdependent global milieu.

The central revelation here is that for humanity to progress, all nations must progress as one. The quest for universal human dignity should not be defined by geographical, racial, or cultural boundaries, nor should it be set back by our desires to move our own nations forward. Global progress means equitable progress.

The industrialized nations of the world can look with pride on the living standards their peoples enjoy. But, as one of my distinguished predecessors once said, “Those who have less in life should have more in law.” This basic principle of social justice is also the most basic humanitarian challenge of our times. The wealth of nations must become an instrument to move the world further along the straight and righteous path of compassion and communal responsibility.

The message is clear: there are those who need help, and acting with compassion toward those who need help is a response that is both humane and necessary.

This idea has been trumpeted for decades, and yet, combating inequality remains one of the greatest challenges of our times. The chasm between the powerful and powerless, the haves and the have-nots, remains to be bridged. The past century has demonstrated, in terms so stark that it inspired the creation of this organization, that when the mighty clash, those who have less end up trampled. This is true where conflict exists, and true where markets exist; true in our nation, and true in an international context.

The concept of vulnerability and inequality is all too clear in the global effort to address climate change. Those who stand to lose much, if not everything, from the effects of man-induced climatic conditions are those who did little to cause it. There is an enormous need to ensure, as a matter of justice, that countries, particularly the vulnerable, are assisted in their adaptation and disaster risk-reduction efforts and are provided the necessary resources to build climate-resilient communities. This should go hand-in-hand with ambitious commitments by major economies to significantly reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.

Many of you may say you have already given mightily of your resources. But surely we do not need flood and famine to remind ourselves that there is so much more that must be given, because there are so many more who deserve the hope of a better life.

The most immediate focus of cooperation demanded of us today is to collectively ensure that the eight Millennium Development Goals will be achieved by all in the remaining five years. This is a daunting task; and we are all aware that national resolve has to be complemented by bilateral, regional and multilateral cooperation.

Rising to the challenges of our era requires, within each of our countries, a strengthened regulatory system. This does not mean a cumbersome, intrusive government, but rather a government that allows private enterprise to thrive, while ensuring that they remain cognizant of their social responsibilities, and empowers them, in turn, toward fulfilling these responsibilities. Many governments are tackling this challenge, including the government of the Philippines. Our administration’s pledge: To channel the gains we might reap from Public Private Partnerships into social services, like those in health, education, and poverty alleviation.

Across boundaries, the battle against inequality requires a balanced approach from those in authority: to be conscious of our responsibilities to our own people, and of our duties to regions and the globe. Already we are witnessing a rethinking of traditional paradigms, a shifting of our focus towards ensuring that the global system does not leave anyone behind.

And while my nation continues to benefit from the compassion of those who are more able to help, this does not mean that we, or our friends in the developing world, will be entirely dependent on the largesse of the developed world. We will not be passive players in our quest for development. My nation remains active in the G77 and other efforts toward enhancing South-South cooperation, and articulating and promoting our collective economic interests.

This is what our people put us in power for. This is what the world expects of us as leaders—to be exemplars of what it is to be compassionate human beings, and vanguards of hope for our common humanity.

For is not this hope also the hope that unites us as human beings? It is the same hope that allows us to break down walls of mistrust, which may take the form of intolerance, fear, or violence. It is the same hope that leads us to gather in this hall as our predecessors did.

It is the same hope that will give our generation of leaders the strength to elevate this global assembly to a place where, collectively, the nations of the world could find ways to make a better life possible for all.

For so many times in our history, my people have shown that, united, nothing is impossible. We called it People Power. It is my earnest hope—and in the greatest interest of humanity—that we harness the energies of dialogue, solidarity, and communal responsibility, so that a global People Power toward equitable progress may be achieved.

Thank you.