Teddy Locsin Jr.

Message of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. on the 45th Anniversary of Philippines-China diplomatic relations, June 9, 2020, Manila.

(Opening remarks of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. at the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs’ hearing on the Visiting Forces Agreement last February 6, 2020)

(Statement of the Republic of the Philippines by His Excellency Mr. Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr., Secretary of Foreign Affairs, at the 19^th Foreign Ministers Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) of the 19^th foreign ministers’ meeting, First Plenary, December 16, 2019, with the topic: “Revitalizing the multilateral system – advancing the ASEM partnership on global issues.”)

(Speech delivered by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. at the Embassy of Indonesia’s Gala Dinner in honor of the 70th anniversary of Philippines-Indonesia Diplomatic Relations on December 7, 2019, at the Grand Ballroom, Grand Hyatt Manila)

(Keynote address of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. at the High Level Forum on Global Migration in celebration of the International Day of the Abolition of Slavery, December 2, 2019, Seda Vertis North, Quezon City.)

(Welcome remarks by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. at the 2019 Global Conference of Heads of Posts (G-Chop) held on October 11, 2019 at the New World Hotel in Makati City)

(Speech delivered by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. in celebration of the 2019 International Humanitarian Law Day, September 9, 2019)

(Speech delivered by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. following the luncheon on board the Spanish Navy Frigate “Méndez Núñez” on September 5, 2019)

(Speech delivered by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. at the DFA Eidul Adha reception, DFA Lobby, August 16, 2019)

(Speech delivered by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. at the 9^th East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in Bangkok, Thailand from on August 2, 2019)

(Speech delivered by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. at the Asean Post Ministerial Conference 10+1 Sessions with The Dialogue Partners held in Bangkok, Thailand from July 31 to August 1, 2019)

Speech delivered by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. at the 52nd Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in Bangkok, Thailand, from July 29 to August 3, 2019.

(Speech delivered by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. at the 20th Asean Plus Three Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held on August 2, 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand)

(Statement of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. on the adoption of the Iceland resolution by the UN Human Rights Council)

(Remarks by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. at the 121stfounding anniversary of the Department of Foreign Affairs. Delivered at the DFA’s Bulwagang Apolinario Mabini on June 26, 2019).

Toast remarks by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. on the occasion of the Day of Russia, Rizal Ballroom, Shangri-La Hotel, Makati City, June 7, 2018.

PHILIPPINE statement delivered by H.E. Ms. Kira Christianne D. Azucena, Chargé d’Affaires, Philippine Permanent Mission to the United Nations UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) Consultations on The Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites, June 11, 2019, at the Trusteeship Council Chamber.

(United Nations Security Council remarks by Financial Action Task Force President Marshall Billingslea.)

Statement of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. at the Security Council Open Debate on “Threats to International Peace and Security Caused by Terrorist Acts: Combating the Financing of Terrorism,” on March 28, 2019, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.    

(Statement of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. at the high level meeting – “Climate Protection for All: Protection of the Global Climate for Present and Future Generations of Humankind in the context of the Economic, Social and Environmental Dimensions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” – on March 28, 2019 in New York City.) 

(Remarks of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. on the visit to Mindanao Kokusai Daigaku with H.E. Taro Kono, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, on February 10, 2019 at Davao City.)

(Toast remarks by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. at the luncheon in honor of H.E. Taro Kono, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, on February 10, 2019 at Marco Polo Hotel, Davao City.)

Your Excellency, Minister Kono, members of the Japanese delegation, and colleagues in government.

(Opening statement of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. on the inauguration of the Consulate General of Japan in Davao, on February 10, 2019 at Waterfront Insular Hotel, Davao City.)

(Opening statement of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. at the joint press conference with H.E. Taro Kono, Japan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, on February 10, 2019 at Marco Polo Hotel, Davao City.)

(Opening statement of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. at the Bilateral Meeting with H. E. Taro Kono, Japan’s minister of foreign affairs, on February 10, 2019, at Marco Polo Hotel, Davao City.)

(Speech delivered by MS. KIRA CHRISTIANNE D. AZUCENA, Chargé d’Affaires, during the General Debate on the 2019 C-34 Substantive Session on February 11-12, 2019 at the Conference Room 1, UN Headquarters, New York).

STATEMENT delivered by Gil S. Beltran, undersecretary, Department of Finance, government of the Philippines, at the 57th Session of the Commission for Social Development on February 11-21, 2019, UN Headquarters, New York.

(Remarks written by Roseny Fangco and delivered by Ariel Rodelas Peñaranda, Chargé d’affaires, at the UN forum on “Practical Solutions to Eradicate Human Trafficking,” November 9, 2018, UN Headquarters, New York).

(Statement prepared by Angela Ponce and delivered by H.E. TEODORO L. LOCSIN, JR., Philippine Permanent Representative, Item 85: Strengthening and coordinating United Nations rule of law activities, 73^rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, October 9, 2018, Trusteeship Council Chamber, UN Headquarters, New York.)

(Remarks prepared by Ging Valles and delivered by H.E. TEODORO L. LOCSIN, JR., Philippine Permanent Representative, on the Occasion of the ASIA-PACIFIC GROUP RECEPTION FOR THE CANDIDATURE TO THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL FOR THE TERM 2019-2021, October 8, 2018.)

Statement prepared by Roseny Fangco, delivered by H.E. Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. Permanent Representative, Item 29: Advancement of Women, Third Committee, 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, October 8, 2018, Conference Room 1, UN Headquarters, New York.

Statement by H.E. Teodoro L. Locsin Jr., Permanent Representative, Item 111: Measures to eliminate international terrorism, Sixth Committee, 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, October 4, 2018, Trusteeship Council Chamber, UN Headquarters, New York.

(Statement delivered by TEODORO L. LOCSIN, JR. Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Philippines to the United Nations, during the Third Committee Discussion on Agenda Item 28: Social Development, 73^rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, UN Headquarters, New York, October 2, 2018).

(Delivered by Ambassador Teodoro L. Locsin Jr., Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Philippines to the United Nations in New York at the Protection of Religious Minorities in the Middle East with special focus on persecuted Christians. Hungary, the Vatican, the United States, Uzbekistan, and Iraq also spoke at the United Nations).

(My personal intervention at the talk on Maintaining International Peace and Security: Visions from the Regions held at the MacMillan Center, Yale University, September 12, 2018. I made that plain; it was equally plain they weren’t interested in what I might have to say in my official capacity. A wonderful exchange followed. Great fun was had by all.)

(Statement on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) by Ambassador Teodoro L. Locsin Jr., Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Philippines to the United Nations in New York, on Sept. 6, 2018 at the International Day Against Nuclear Tests.)

(Philippine statement delivered by H.E. MR. TEODORO L. LOCSIN, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, New York, ECO-SOC CHAMBER, Presentation of the Country Program Document for the Philippines, Second Regular Session 2018 of the Executive Board of the United Nations Development Program, the United Nations Population Fund and the United Nations Office for Project Services, 4–7 September 4-7, 2018, New York.)

The New York Permanent Mission’s engagement on the undesirable involvement of men in the United Nations campaign against sexual violence and trafficking has attained an unstoppable momentum. Recently we met with a young woman advocate for adopting a UN resolution against sexual violence, focusing entirely on it without wasting time on finding and addressing the socio-economic-political-cultural roots of this peculiarly male proclivity that makes them unfit for most functions of government involving some degree of power over women and women’s concerns—although I did mention that in Davao when he was mayor, President Duterte did the unthinkable yet commonsensical by opening women’s desks in every police station to handle crimes against or perpetrated by women to avoid sexual exploitation by persons in authority. On Tuesday, the Mission had occasion to intervene from the floor with Roseny Fangco of the New York Permanent Mission to the United Nations. The event was a reception on “Women and Girls First: Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies in Asia and the Pacific,” September 4, 2018, the United Nations.

(Philippine statement delivered by H.E. Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr., Permanent Representative, Philippine Permanent Mission to the United Nations, at the Open Debate on “Mediation and the Settlement of Disputes,” August 29, 2018, UN Security Council Chamber, UN Headquarters, New York.)

(Opening statement delivered by Ambassador Teddy Locsin Jr., Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations, at the Global Compact on Migration Conference in the Philippines, August 14-15, preparatory to its formal adoption in Morocco in December 2018.)

(Philippine statement delivered by Ambassador Teddy Locsin Jr., Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations, at the panel discussion on “Stop Trafficking in children and young people: a dire need to find sustainable solutions”, in commemoration of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on July 30, 2018 at Conference Room 8, UN Headquarters, New York)

(Statement written by Roseny Fangco and Teodoro L. Locsin, delivered by the latter at the launching of “Inherent Dignity: An Advocacy Guidebook to prevent trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and realizing the human rights of women and girls throughout their lives” at the United Nations Headquarters, New York.)

(Philippine statement delivered by Ambassador Teddy Locsin Jr. on July 11, 2018 at the “Thematic Review: Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies, perspectives of LDCs, LLDCs and MICs”, Conference Room 4, United Nations Headquarters, New York)

(A Philippine statement written by Maria Roseny Fangco, 3^rd Committee, and delivered by Ambassador Teddy L. Locsin, Jr., Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations, at the UN Security Council Open Debate on Children and Armed Conflict, UN Headquarters, New York, on July 9, 2018)

This Friday, the text of the Global Compact on Safe and Orderly Migration will go to the General Assembly for adoption before it is submitted for approval at the huge conference in Marrakech in Morocco. There are still sticking points but adoption seems certain. Mexico and Switzerland are co-facilitators and they have done a superb job. One Permanent Representative remarked that the text is exemplary for its clarity compared to the first draft, which was dense, sophisticated, filled with terms of art that are loaded with precedent to be sure but unfamiliar to most.

(Philippine statement delivered by Ambassador Teddy Locsin Jr. on June 26, 2018 at the United Nations General Assembly Plenary Debate on Agenda Item 118 — The United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy; General Assembly Hall, UN Headquarters, New York)

“Pagbabagong Ipinaglaban, Alay sa Masaganang Kinabukasan (Our struggle for change, our gift to the future). I dislike government slogans except for Tourism Secretary Mon Jimenez’s “It’s more fun in the Philippines” because it happens to be true. Even for Filipinos who left home to find better paying and more intellectually challenging work abroad, it is true: it is more fun in the Philippines when you’ve made enough to go home to replenish your energy before taking up again your work abroad—work beneficial to you, your family and community back home—as it is useful for your host country. We are known for this and we are grateful for our hosts abroad.

(Philippine statement delivered by Ambassador Teddy Locsin Jr. on June 12, 2018 at the General Debate, Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at the United Nations Headquarters, New York. Roseny Fangco wrote the speech.)

(Philippine statement delivered by Ambassador Teddy Locsin Jr. on June 5, 2018 in celebration of the World Environment Day at the UN Headquarters, New York)

[Intervention of the Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations at the Interactive multi-stakeholder panel discussion on “Achieving peaceful and inclusive societies through preventing and combating corruption” on May 23, 2018, at the Trusteeship Council Chamber, UN Headquarters, New York, delivered by Ms. Maria Roseny B. Fangco, Second Secretary.]

(Philippine statement delivered by Ambassador Teddy Locsin Jr. on May 15, 2018 at the side event on the Contribution of Migrants to Sustainable Development at the Fourth Round of Negotiations, Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration at UN Headquarters, New York)

Migration is the human condition; we are all travelers on this earth and it behooves us to care for our country of origin as much as for our country of destination because both countries are our Earth. — Jorge Skinner-Klée Arenales, Permanent Representative of Guatemala to the United Nations.

I delivered this statement at the 2018 Session of the United Nations Disarmament Commission on April 3, 2018 at United Nations Headquarters, New York.

I delivered this statement, as usual the shortest, at the UN Alliance of Civilizations Group of Friends Meeting (PR-Level) on the theme of “Preventing Violent Extremism and Sustaining Peace” on April 3, 2018 at the Economic and Social Council, which is the UN’s central platform for reflection, debate, and innovative thinking on sustainable development. 

The last meeting of the Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement or NAM for the Ministerial Meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan was a last run-through to present a clean draft document in Baku. There would be a call for a last — no, not vote but — attempt at consensus to adopt various statements. Or not.

On Tuesday, March 20, the Philippines delivered the first statement at the Preparatory Committee for the Third United Nations Conference to Review Progress Made in the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects.

AFTER hours long discussion—way past 10 in the evening—with the Philippine Delegation from Manila and Geneva last Sunday on what is called the Zero Plus Draft of the Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, the UN Permanent Mission’s Minister Angela Ponce hammered it all down into a gem of a statement, well within the 3-minute limit for speakers, to be delivered by Mr. Reynaldo A. Catapang, Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Migrant Workers Affairs, who would be the first to deliver a statement following the rightwing Hungarian Foreign Minister’s sure to be contrarian statement.

(Philippine statement delivered by Ambassador Teddy Locsin Jr. on February 20, 2018 at the Meeting of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization at the United Nations Headquarters, New York.)

(Philippine statement delivered by Ambassador Teddy Locsin Jr. on January 12, 2018 during the Handover Ceremony of the Chairmanship of the Group of 77 at the United Nations Headquarters, New York.)

A friend of a friend of mine, a health freak like her, said that her friend was a water fanatic who drank eight tall glasses of water every morning and every chance she got. She collapsed from the loss of electrolytes. I have kin so strict in their diet that by the start of old age their bodies were fit to live indefinitely because their arteries were clear of plaque, but they were drooling because their brains had shrunk from malnutrition.

Statement delivered by  Ambassador Teddy L. Locsin Jr. at the United Nations General Assembly Debate—60th Plenary Meeting Agenda Item 15: Culture of peace, on December 8.

(Philippine statement delivered by Ambassador Teddy Locsin Jr. on December 5, 2017 at the United Nations General Assembly, New York.)

(An expanded version of a Philippine statement delivered by Ambassador Teddy Locsin Jr. on November 30, 2017 during the high-level meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement on Human Rights and Cultural Diversity at the United Nations Headquarters, New York.)

(An expanded version of a Philippine statement delivered by Ambassador Teddy Locsin Jr. at the United Nations General Assembly, New York.)

[This expands a statement I delivered at the United Nations and is entirely my opinion, take it or leave it.]

Statement delivered by  H.E. Teodoro L. Locsin Jr., permanent representative of the Philippines to the United Nations, during the Third Committee Debate on Agenda Item 73 (b): Promotion and Protection of Human Rights—Human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms on the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, UN Headquarters, New York, October 30, 2017.

(Philippine statement delivered by Ambassador Teddy Locsin Jr. at the Security Council Open Debate on ‘Children and Armed Conflict’ on October 31, 2017 at the UN Security Council Chamber, New York.)

Philippine statement delivered by Ambassador Teddy Locsin Jr. at the United Nations Trusteeship Council Chamber, UN Headquarters, New York, on August 30.

Interfaith dialogue assumes the authenticity of the participants. Religion offers shape and direction to human life, it does not confuse and dehumanize. Satanism and its modern variants in perverted religion are not invited to the table. Real religion is a repeated encounter between a person and reality, it is always individual. Even the Judaic religion with the theme of the Chosen People only appears to contradict that; but it starts with one man’s disobedience, and goes on to another man’s obedience in the teeth of everything good in him, which Some Greater One sought to test by demanding the sacrifice of his son.

Action speaks louder than words.

I gave you a sampling of Bruce Lee’s mind, showing rare depth of insight and clarity of expression. Here are others.

MARIA Popova observes that Bruce Lee was as good at writing as he was at kung fu. He walked out of the set of what turned out to be his last movie because they clipped his philosophy from the script. It was restored. That is what made Enter The Dragon a cultural artefact for the Library of Congress.

Speech delivered by Ambassador Teodoro Lopez Locsin Jr. at the panel discussion with the Holy See and Institute of Cultural Diplomacy sponsored by Hungary.

(Philippine statement delivered by Ambassador Teddy Locsin Jr. at the United Nations General Assembly Hall, New York, on July 28, 2017).

IN the late 1970s when I was in Singapore, Singapore Airlines threatened to strike.

MAIL ONLINE reports that Kevin Simiyi, 18 years old, was caught in the act of raping a hen. He pleaded that he was too shy to chat up women. He settled for a hen. He asked for a reduced sentence as a first time offender. Just the same, the judge sentenced him to 15 months in Bungoma prison where he will be treated like a hen.

I haven’t said anything about mining. Let me fix that.

POPE Francis said that a good atheist is better than a bad Christian. The bad Christian draws down on our religion the contempt of those who see his hypocrisy.

(Speech delivered by H.E. MR. TEODORO L. LOCSIN, JR., Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations,  at the “Breaking the Impasse: A New Approach to Addressing Protracted Internal Displacement” conference held June 29, 1017 at the UN Headquarters in New York)

(Statement delivered by H.E. TEODORO L. LOCSIN, JR., Permanent Representative of the Republic of the Philippines to the United Nations during the Launch of the 2017 World Drug Report at the UN Headquarters in  New York City on June 22, 2017)

(Remarks by H.E. Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. at the side event “Using the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons and the SDGs to End the Scourge of Trafficking in Women and Girls” at the United Nations on June 21, 2017)

(Remarks by Ambassador Teodoro L. Locsin Jr., Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations, at the ‘Examples of national implementation measures’ confab on nuclear weapons, UNHQ)

(Philippine statement delivered by Ambassador Teddy Locsin at the United Nation’s “Sending Money Home: Migrants and the Sustainable Development Goals Global Forum on Remittances, Investment and Development 2017” on June 16, 2017).

IF there was ever any doubt that we will never give up an inch of our national territory or an iota of our territorial rights, including what is now part of our national patrimony—our victory at the Hague, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, an internationally respected soldier, laid that doubt to rest.

The following is my response to the presentation of the Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in the Philippines to the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict at 12 pm, Friday, June 2, 2017, Conference Room 7, UNHQ. The Report summarized abuses against children in armed conflicts in the Philippines. In content, it damned by faint praise our Armed Forces on the basis of a few but nonetheless egregious instances of barbarity by our troops but it showered praises on the MILF for undertaking measures, and promising even more measures, to moderate its regular barbarity in the abuse and employment of children in war. There seemed to be an assumption that the more we give up our sovereignty the better chance we shall have to be praised in turn with equal exuberance by the United Nations. The UN gets its information from civil society groups and from interactions with the MILF arranged by our government.

Ambassador Teddy Locsin Jr.’s remarks at The Group of Friends of a pollution-free world

BBC News reports that Marie Collins resigned from the panel created by Pope Francis to investigate clerical sex abuse. Collins was invited to the panel by the Pope. She was molested at 13 by an Irish priest.