PNoy to promote West Philippine Sea in 20th ASEAN Summit in Cambodia

President Benigno S. Aquino III will discuss Philippine advocacies with his counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) when he attends the 20^th ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on April 3 and 4.

The President will promote maritime security and the West Philippine Sea, climate change and disaster risk reduction management, migrant workers’ protection and welfare, and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to strengthen the implementation of the ASEAN Charter and to contribute to regional efforts towards achieving the establishment of an ASEAN Community in 2015.

On April 3, President Aquino will join the other ASEAN leaders in meeting the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary (AIPA) Representatives, the Civil Society Organizations (CSO) Representatives, and the Youth Representatives. All ASEAN Leaders will likewise have a Royal Audience with His Majesty Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia.

On April 4, the President and the other ASEAN Leaders will have an exchange of views on international and regional issues during the ASEAN Leaders’ Retreat.

The President will likewise join three of his counterparts in the 8^th Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Summit after the concluding session of the ASEAN Summit. The President, together with his counterparts, will discuss the core strategic thrusts of BIMP-EAGA within the next five years in the fields of enhanced transport, power and communication connectivity, food basket strategy in agri-business and fisheries development, tourism development, and environment and natural resource development.

President Aquino is also scheduled to meet the Filipino community in Cambodia before his return to Manila.

It is estimated that there are some 3,000 Filipinos in Cambodia, most of whom are gainfully employed while some are engaged in volunteer or missionary work.  Most of the Filipinos in Cambodia are employed in the garments and textiles sectors, academic institutions, hotels and restaurants, civil society organizations (CSOs), and non-government organizations (NGOs).                     

The Leaders-level Meeting will be the first under Cambodia’s Chairmanship in 2012 under the theme “ASEAN: One Community, One Destiny.” This year’s Summit will also celebrate the 45^th anniversary of the founding of ASEAN.