Human rights will be a "big subject" at the approaching Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit next week, a Malacañang official said Tuesday.
“Mapag-uusapan 'yan, under the leadership of the DSWD. In fact, meron tayong agreement na mapipirmahan ng ating mga leader, ito yung consensus on the human rights of migrant workers around ASEAN,” said Presidential Communications and Operations Office (PCOO) Assistant Secretary Kris Ablan in an interview on Unang Balita.
"Human rights will be a big subject during the ASEAN meetings," he said.
This, despite the attitude of President Rodrigo Duterte towards human rights, something local and international groups have criticized him for.
The Philippine government's respect for human rights has been put in question due to the killings associated with Duterte's war on drugs.
Ablan said the administration is hopeful the bilateral relationships between the Philippines and the United States will take a turn for the better.
Duterte-Trump meet
US President Donald Trump will attend the meetings next week and is expected to hold a bilateral discussion with Duterte.
“We are very optimistic sa kalalabasan ng agreement between the Philippines and the United States,” said Ablan.
He said Duterte and Trump could talk about “everything under the sun” in their one-on-one meeting, ranging from political security, economic and sociocultural topics.
“Tingin ko positibo ang direksyon ng kanilang...kung saan pupunta ang Amerika at Pilipinas under the Trump and Duterte administration dahil they will participate fully during the three-day ASEAN Summit,” he said.
Trump is also expected to attend the East Asia Summit, after initially cancelling his participation to the event due to a scheduling issue.
Other topics that could be discussed by the world leaders in the Summit are trade agreements and even the territorial dispute in the South China Sea.
Ablan said Philippine officials are doing their best to promote equality in terms of trade agreements in the ASEAN region, citing a “homecourt advantage.”
“Sinisikap ng head of the economic cluster—si DTI Secretary Lopez—na gawing patas ang mga trade agreements, he said.
“That’s the reason why maganda na meron tayong homecourt advantage dahil lahat ng mga miyembro ng ating economic committee ay talagang pinupursige na dapat iyong mga bilateral agreements between our economic partners as well as our member states are equal amongst members,” he added.
Benefits of ASEAN Summit
But how can the ordinary Filipino benefit from the ASEAN Summit?
Ablan said traders—those in hotel and car rental industries, for example—have seen increased business due to the several ASEAN meetings held in the country throughout the year.
Students can enjoy educational forums in different parts of the country, he added.
Ablan also claimed travel and goods between and among the ASEAN countries have dropped in price due to agreements reached in meetings such as the series that will occur next week.
A study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies released in April this year said Filipinos are “moderately familiar” of the ASEAN and “modestly identify” as ASEAN citizens.
The ASEAN is composed of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. —Nicole-Anne Lagrimas/ALG, GMA News
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