PH steps up preparations for ASEAN Summit

MANILA – The Philippines is stepping up preparations for the 49th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Summits, with agencies reporting that preparations remain “time on target” less than a month before the high-level meetings open on Nov. 15.

Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, who chairs the ASEAN National Organizing Council (NOC), said that nearly all items on the preparation’s checklist have been completed, as the country prepares to host 20 heads of state and government and thousands of delegates and business leaders.

“With 20 heads of state in attendance, this is a meeting with a million moving parts, from convoys to conferences, from agenda to attractions to be visited, from security to seat plans, so failure on our part is not an option,” Recto said during a command conference with officials overseeing the preparations on Monday.

The summit and related meetings will be held at the Philippine International Convention Center, where regional leaders are expected to discuss political, security and economic priorities affecting Southeast Asia and its partners.

United States President Donald Trump is reportedly attending the annual summit, along with leaders and senior officials of other ASEAN partners.

Recto said the remaining preparations cover a wide range of logistical requirements, from receiving visiting leaders on the tarmac to managing road traffic around summit venues.

“There is a long check list of things to be done, and we have ticked almost all of them. This ranges from the minute, like the salubong sa tarmac, to the massive, which is the road traffic adjustments,” he said.

The Executive Secretary said the government is working to combine Filipino hospitality with the demands of hosting high-level diplomatic discussions.

“As hosts, we are trying to blend the Filipino’s charming fiesta hospitality with the serious business that will be tackled during the summit,” Recto said.

Beyond the hosting arrangements, the government is looking for agreements that would translate into tangible benefits for Filipinos and other people in the region.

“Isang sukatan ng tagumpay ng ating ASEAN hosting ay kung ano ang pakinabang ng ating mamamayan (One measure of the success of our ASEAN hosting is the benefit it brings to our people),” Recto said.

He said the agreements forged during the meetings should help create jobs, expand business opportunities and strengthen security.

Among the expected economic deliverables is the substantial conclusion of negotiations for the ASEAN-Canada Free Trade Agreement, which could give Filipino exporters wider access to markets and encourage investment and business activity.

ASEAN member-states are also expected to sign the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement, which seeks to establish common rules for digital trade and cross-border data flows.

The proposed framework also aims to strengthen regional cooperation on cybersecurity and data protection, while helping businesses, including small enterprises, reach customers across the region and enabling people to transact online with greater confidence.

Recto said the summit would also provide an opportunity for regional leaders to coordinate their responses to emerging political, security and economic challenges.

The meetings would help determine “what we do for the rest of the year, what we do in the future, how we can help each other, and what is the ASEAN position regarding all of these shocks that are coming our way,” he said.

Recto also stressed that the government has managed public resources prudently without scaling back the summit’s objectives.

“We have proven that we can be prudent with public resources without curbing the ambitious targets of the summit,” he said, urging agencies to maintain close coordination as preparations continue.

Among those who attended Monday’s NOC meeting were Acting Budget Secretary Kim de Leon, Tourism Secretary Dita-Angara Mathay, Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian and Information and Communications Technology Secretary Robert Joseph de Claro, along with senior officials from other agencies.