Foreign Affairs secretary Perfecto Yasay announced during the launching of Philippines’ chairmanship for Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 2017 on Sunday that a total of 118 meetings will take place in “select cities around the country” within the year.
Six of this, he said, will be hosted by Davao City.
Speaking before1000 guests, including the representatives of ten ASEAN member-states, foreign ambassadors, and delegates at SMX Convention Center, SM Lanang Premiere Davao City, Yasay identified the substantial issues that will be addressed in the meetings that will be conducted.
“These include promoting peaceful co-existence, advancing work on maritime security, working towards a drug-free ASEAN, bettering the quality of life, an equal access to opportunities enhancing an environment that is conducive to business, prioritizing health and improve nutrition, highlighting connectivity and innovation, building a disaster-resilient region, and strengthening ASEAN’s worth and standing in the international arena,” said Yasay.
The foreign affairs secretary stressed the importance of the meetings to be held as ASEAN accounts for the 3rd largest gross domestic product (GDP) in Asia and 7th in the world.
“The ASEAN is a region that has attracted around USD 120 billion in foreign direct investments,“ he added.
According to Yasay, with the year 2017 as the 50th anniversary of the founding of ASEAN, the Philippines will also organize commemorative activities to celebrate this milestone.
To start with, President Rodrigo Duterte and Yasay led the unveiling of ASEAN commemorative coin and postal stamp while National Commission on Culture and Arts (NCCA) led the singing of Philippines chairmanship theme song on Sunday.
Other commemorative events which are still subject for confirmation are the landmark lighting activity on the 50 landmarks across the country, Communicating the Philippine Initiatives in ASEAN in the Field Of Information and Communication, ASEAN Sports Festival, TV Project Concepts, ASEAN Day Celebration: Coastal Clean-up and the People with Disabilities Summit.
The information dissemination campaign about ASEAN integration through the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) will be conducted whole year round.
Yasay also mentioned that activities to celebrate the golden milestone of the founding of ASEAN will also take place in our Philippine embassies, missions and consulates across the globe.
Meanwhile, in a previous interview with Department of Tourism – XI Regional Director Robert Alabado, he mentioned that six or seven of the meetings will be held in Davao City.
“The number is still indefinite since DFA will arrange the meetings. Kami sa DOT, we play a minor role,” said Alabado, adding that although DOT would be in charge of touring the representatives of ten ASEAN member-states around the city.
In spite of that, the regional director expresssed his optimism that the meetings and city tour will result to potential investments in the region given that tourism accounts as one of the biggest income generating industries.
With the theme, “Partnering for Change, Engaging the World,” the foreign affairs secretary stressed the government’s aspiration to work closely on effecting positive change in the lives of the people of ASEAN.
