Speaker: Peace, understanding attained at APPF

FILE: PARLIAMENTARIAN. House Speaker Martin Romualdez delivers a speech at the 31st annual meeting of the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) in Pasay City on Saturday (Nov. 25, 2023). He underscored the importance of the meeting whose primary objective is to promote understanding, collaboration and advance of peace and development in the region. (Photo: House of Representatives of the Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA – Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez thanked parliament leaders and representatives from 19 countries who participated in the recently concluded 31st annual meeting of the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) in the country.

In a press release issued Sunday, Romualdez specifically thanked parliamentarian-counterparts in the Asia Pacific region for reaching their primary objective of promoting understanding, collaboration and advancement of peace and development in the region.

“Through the APPF-member Parliaments’ active engagement and resilient partnerships, we were able to ensure a respectful and peaceful resolution of our common concerns,” Romualdez said in his farewell dinner message on Saturday.

He expressed elation that the parliamentarians in the Asia Pacific region were able to discuss among themselves what he called a “vibrant exchange of ideas, experiences and best practices” that was formed “in an atmosphere of openness and trust.”

“It is my belief that as Parliamentarians, we were able to accomplish our primary objective — to frame and execute legislative initiatives that are focused on cultivating crucial elements necessary to attain peace and support sustainable economic growth,” he said.

The lawmaker also congratulated the APPF delegates for their “unwavering resolve to reinforce our deep commitment to develop relevant policy directions and utilize our expertise to make us more effective in responding to the challenges.”