PH ready to implement new work plan with APT partners: PBBM

FILE: During the 25th ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Summit today, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed his readiness to collaborate on the Work Plan 2023-2027 and to actively engage in the APT Emergency Rice Reserve. (Photo: Office of the President/Facebook)

MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Saturday expressed the Philippines’ readiness to implement the new work plan between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its partners in the ASEAN Plus Three (APT) for 2023 to 2027.

Marcos made the commitment, during his intervention at the 25th APT Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, according to Undersecretary Cheloy Garafil, officer-in-charge of the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS), in a statement.

“Joining his fellow leaders during the 25th ASEAN Plus Three Summit in Phnom Penh, President Marcos said the Philippines remains prepared to collaborate with ASEAN Plus Three partners on the New Work Plan 2023-2027, which will serve as a guide in the next five years,” Garafil said.

“The plan will tackle various areas such as public health, food security, financial cooperation, and digital economy particularly as the region moves towards the post-pandemic recovery,” she added.

APT is composed of the 10 member-states of the ASEAN and their three dialogue partners, China, Japan, and South Korea.

The APT Cooperation Work Plan 2023-2027 serves as a principal guide to enhance the regional bloc’s cooperation with its three dialogue partners over the next five years to achieve their “long-term” goal of establishing an East Asia community, with ASEAN as the driving force.

The work plan lays out strategic measures to strengthen cooperation in various areas such as political and security; economic and financial; socio-cultural; and connectivity.

It also aims to support initiatives for ASEAN integration, engage stakeholders to participate in the East Asia community-building efforts, and implement other institutional support and follow-up mechanisms.

Master plan on ASEAN connectivity

Marcos also called on his fellow leaders to fast-track the implementation of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) 2025, to further expand partnerships within the APT in the digital domain, state-run Radio Television Malacañang (RTVM) said in a separate Facebook post.

“It is my hope that in the coming years, we will look back on today and see a time when the ASEAN community, in partnership with its Dialogue Partners, came together to move forward, with ASEAN at the center, leaving no one behind. Together, we can overcome any challenges and rise above new challenges as one,” Marcos said, as quoted by RTVM.

MPAC 2025 focuses on five key areas, which include sustainable infrastructure, digital innovation, seamless logistics, regulatory excellence, and people mobility.

Marcos sought the immediate implementation of the master plan, as he proposed the exploration of “smart agriculture” and the conduct of capacity-building programs for ASEAN members.

He also recommended the diversification of the APT Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) by adding other commodities and staple foods to the reserve, as well as the continuation of forums that touch on regional concerns on agriculture and food security.

“Attaining food self-sufficiency and security by seeking innovative solutions through adoption of new technologies and enhanced connectivity to national, regional and global value supply chains. This must be one of our utmost priorities in the region,” Marcos said.

“The Philippines reaffirms our commitment to actively engage in the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve or APTERR. APTERR is extremely beneficial to our countries. We vulnerable to many hazards and natural calamities due to topography and geographic location,” he added.

Marcos also emphasized the importance of promoting peace and security in the maritime domain, as part of the region’s post-pandemic recovery.

He said the ASEAN and its dialogue partners must put a premium on strengthening the “multi-faceted nature” of their maritime cooperation.

“Let us continue to work with our APT partners through activities such as safety and freedom of navigation, with the end view of promoting peace, stability, security and prosperity in accordance with the relevant international and regional treaties and agreements including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea (UNCLOS),” Marcos said.

During the summit, Marcos also renewed his call on North Korea to abide by the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council which prohibits it from conducting ballistic missile tests.

This, as Marcos emphasized the need to maintain peace and stability in the region.