(Note from MindaNews: This is the official transcript of President Rodrigo Duterte’s speech, released by the Presidential News Desk of the Presidential Communications Office)
Presidential Communications Office
Presidential News Desk
REMARKS
OF
PRESIDENT RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE
DURING THE
31ST ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS (ASEAN) SUMMIT PLENARY
[Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), Pasay City | 13 November 2017]
Your Majesty, Excellencies, it is my great pleasure and honor to warmly welcome you again to Manila.
At the 30th ASEAN Summit in April of this year, we engaged in productive and fruitful discussions on our continuing work in strengthening the ASEAN Community towards the realization of the ASEAN-Vision 2025.
Against the backdrop of the Philippines’ chairmanship theme of “Partnering for Change, Engaging the World” and the six thematic priorities, we noted that efforts and work of the sectoral bodies and organs of the Association to fully and effectively implement the ASEAN Political Security Community, ASEAN Economic Community, and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprints for 2025.
Today, we continue our discussions on how to further consolidate our efforts and our shared aspirations toward an ASEAN Community that is truly rules-based, people-oriented, and people-centered.
It is also an opportunity for us to discuss the kind and cooperation needed to respond to the rapid, regional, and global developments and threats posed by non-traditional security issues in the peace and stability and prosperity of our regions.
Over the course of the ASEAN 50 years of existence, we have proved time and again the three C’s of consultation, consensus, and cooperation have been integral to our collective success.
Moving forward to ensure the ASEAN’s viability, a new set of three C’s — community, centrality, and connectivity — will define the work and effort needed to ensure the success of our community-building process and our interaction with external partners
With this note, I officially open the plenary of the 31st ASEAN Summit. We have a substantial program in the next two days.
I would like to invite Your Majesty and Your Excellencies to begin our discussions here.
[May I ask the media to leave the room for us to discuss the matters which we would like to contain at this time among ourselves.]
