President BBM had just concluded his first foray in foreign diplomacy after completing his state visits to our Asean neighbors Indonesia and Singapore. It barely took him five days to complete his official tour of the two countries, but its impact on our trade and political relationships may outlive BBM’s presidency. Our relationship with our next-door neighbors plays a pivotal role in promoting and managing our international affairs. When the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) was established on August 8, 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand at the height of the Cold War, it was hailed as “the most successful intergovernmental organization in the developing world today”. It has provided a forum to our head of state to espouse his foreign policy to a friendly audience.
Filipinos share a common ethnic origin with the Malaysians and Indonesians and have enjoyed close ties with the Singaporeans and the Thais even before the Asean was born. The other countries that later joined the group had been supportive and friendly to their neighbors in the past. Two nations—Papua New Guinea and Timor Leste—are currently on observer status and may likely become Asean members in the future. Timor Leste has been a member of the Asean Regional Forum since 2005. This will further enlarge Asean’s membership base, broaden its geographic reach and cooperation, and enhance its global power and influence.
The Asean has provided every member nation and its head of state a convenient platform to sound off their foreign policy. Asean is a safe harbor to test the international waters with an initiative that may likely invite varied reactions across the world. With fellow Aseans, one may be less inhibited to articulate views that non-Aseans may find contentious or controversial. Thus, it has become de rigueur for every newly elected Philippine president, and his Asean counterparts, to make their foreign diplomatic debut in the Asean. And this is prudent since right within the Asean are matters of great import that have significant impact on our political, trade, security and cultural life. Before we venture outside, it is best that we first attend to our own regional concerns. They should be our priority, after all, Asean is the cornerstone of our foreign policy.
From an original 5-founding members, namely: Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines, Asean now has 10 members with the addition of Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia. It had a combined GDP of $3.2 trillion, making it the fifth largest economy in the world in 2019, according to the first ever Asean Development Outlook (ADO) Report released early this year.
The region thrived even during the pandemic, and with the resurging economy it is well poised to achieve more inclusive and sustainable economic growth and prosperity. Before the end of this decade, it is expected to sustain its growth trajectory and become the fourth biggest economy globally.
The top four countries with the biggest GDP in 2020 are: US, $20.9 trillion; China, $14.7 trillion; Japan, $5.0 trillion and Germany, $3.8 trillion (Source: Asean Secretariat).
Asean has a total area of 4.5 million square kilometers and a population of 665.17 million in 2020, or almost 9 percent of the world’s population. It has the third largest population in the world, following China and India. What a huge market with an enormous purchasing power. The Asean is the second largest source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the Asean itself in 2020, following the US.
The Asean enjoys relative peace and stability compared to other areas ridden by social turmoil and political conflict. Except for Myanmar, where the ruling military junta has reportedly committed human rights abuses and atrocities against the opposition, peace reigns across the Asean. Laos and Cambodia have become good neighbors after the leaders of the two countries agreed some years back to ease the tension and settle their differences through peaceful means.
Economically, the region has been spared from poverty and hunger, which many countries in the sub-Saharan region in Africa have grown familiar with. The GDP per capita has improved significantly in many Asean members. Vietnam, which had been ravished by the war, has recovered and is now one of the fastest growing Asean economies. Indonesia’s economy is among the biggest in the world, and Singapore has become one of the most prosperous financial centers. After the Vietnam war, the region has not been exposed to any military conflicts and wars common in the Middle East. There is no serious security concern similar to what the world is seeing in the Korean peninsula or in the Taiwan Strait and other potential hotspots around the globe. The territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea has not deteriorated to the point where China has engaged in saber-rattling similar to what it has been doing against Taiwan. We have always been talking with China, if not filing a note verbale for every incursion of Chinese vessels within our maritime territory, and some senators are even proposing to pursue a joint oil exploration with China.
The Asean has followed the path of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Europe minus the domineering influence of powerful members like Germany, France and Great Britain. The Asean is a partnership of equals and we draw strength from each other. Asean just observed its 55th anniversary last month. Its progress has been slow but there have been some remarkable achievements in the following areas: adoption of a treaty against the development of nuclear weapons; signing of an anti-terrorism pact and environmental protection and wildlife; approval of a free trade agreement; greater mobility among nationals and labor; and easier travel among citizens of member states. In counter-terrorism, for instance, the Singapore Armed Forces had set up a Counter Terrorism Information Facility (CTIF), which offers training to representatives of Asean in monitoring, surveillance, research and analysis of terrorist activities. Based on the data released by the office of the Asean Secretariat last year, it is remarkable that over a 15-year period (2005-2019), some Asean member states like Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand had done wonders in reducing their poverty rates down to a single digit. Brunei and Singapore, whose inhabitants are well-off, were not included in the study. The others like Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and the Philippines were in double digits and are still struggling to lift their people from poverty. Asean has gone some distance to attain its objectives: to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development and to promote regional peace and stability in the region.
From the news releases following the trip of President BBM, his Asean journey has been a rousing success. For instance, it was reported that he brought home trade and investment deals worth $8.5 billion from Indonesia alone. This is not to mention the significant agreements on security, energy, fertilizer supply, dispute resolution, and cultural matters concluded between our two leaders. And it seems that the President even found time to consult his host about our diminishing catch of “galunggong”. If this were true, then the poor man’s fish has been tabled as a staple of our foreign policy. This only reflects our President’s deep concern about food security, which is on top of his agenda as the concurrent Secretary of Agriculture. And there is wisdom in consulting our neighbors on how they have triumphed over adversities, which are ailing us at present. Anyone who is willing to learn makes a good and effective leader.