President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. said he wants to raise the issue of the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar in the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) conferences next month.
In his speech at the event organized by the Manila Overseas Press Club at Sofitel Philippine Plaza in Pasay City last Wednesday, Marcos said he will propose to bring the Myanmar government to the negotiating table to finally end its crackdown against the Rohingya Muslims.
Around 700,000 Rohingyas fled Myanmar after their persecution in 2016.
“I think it’s time to put forward some concrete proposals on what we can do to at the very least bring the– at least representatives of the military government to the table so we can begin to talk about these things,” Marcos said.
“I’m a great believer in engagement. And I think once the lines of communications have closed, then any hope of a compromise has ended. And so let us continue with that,” he added.
He said this will be among the “several actions” he will propose in the ASEAN conference to address “specific conflicts” within the jurisdiction of the regional bloc.
“We [ASEAN members] must present a united front and that is something that I believe is the best way forward simply because the moral suasion at the very least of several member countries of ASEAN is probably in many ways more effective than just a single country,” Marcos said.
Leadership role
Marcos said this is part of his initiative to demonstrate the country’s capability to lead in the international community.
A part of this attempt, he said, was his call in the United National General Assembly (UNGA) last month for a ban on the use of stockpiles of nuclear arms to serve as deterrence since it threatened international peace.
He cited how North Korea and Russia have been using their nuclear weapons to threaten other countries.
“We have a very important part to play in that because we have a great interest. It must be a subject of central concern in our foreign policy and in the defense of the nation in the Philippines,” Marcos said.
“We must play a leadership role because it is in our interest. And if we do not do it, we are not doing our jobs as the protectors of our country, of our state, of our territory, of our people, if we do not take that leadership role,” he added.
The country is currently lobbying to become the elected members of the UN Security Council.
Image credits: RTVM/Screen Capture