A

SEAN is united in solving problems that state members face and working on plans to change the lives of the people for the better.

“We have round tables and regional work plans to improve the lives of our people and we need them to know that we are constantly working for them,” The Philippines’ Permanent Representative to ASEAN Elizabeth Buensuceso told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

The Philippines holds the 2017 chairpersonship for ASEAN.

Among the issues that ASEAN is tackling is preventing trafficking of people, especially women and children.

“The Philippines has ratified ASEAN Convention Against Trafficking People, and it will come into force in 30 days,” Buensuceso said.

“We are the sixth ASEAN member to ratify it, and the ratification only needed six members for the action plan to be adopted.

“You can never do too much to counter crimes like this. Organized crimes are always two or three steps ahead of us so we welcome the cooperation and support of our dialogue partners for carrying out the action plans that we have finalized.”

She also stressed that ASEAN is looking toward progress on the issue of migrant workers despite the internal divide between sending and receiving workers.

“ASEAN is made up of two opposing groups, the senders and the receivers of migrant workers. Therefore, to find the correct balance on this issue, the vital component for the chairpersonship is to come up with a legal instrument on the protection of migrant workers.

“The document has been in the works for a year and a half and 85 percent of it is completed, but the Philippines and Indonesia are actively pushing for 100 percent completion,” she told the Post.

Regarding the Code of Conduct (COC) in the disputed South China Sea, Buensuceso said that ASEAN is pushing for the framework to be completed this year.

“There are already initiatives to come up with a framework for the COC before the upcoming ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting [AMM] Retreat,” she said.

“We are always reminding China to live up to its commitment as they announced last year that the framework will be completed by the middle of this year. ASEAN is driving this issue.”

The meeting will be held from Feb. 19 to 21 on Boracay Island.

In terms of ways of dealing with the problems that ASEAN faces, Buensuceso stressed that most issues are discussed peacefully without putting pressure on any state members.

“We face the challenges with peaceful means, through discussions, consultations and dialogues. We have a lot of discussions to solve regional issues in a peaceful manner,” she said.

In late January, Buensuceso said the Philippines had prepared for ASEAN’s 50th anniversary celebration by placing emphasis on a people-centric approach while taking into account recent developments in the geopolitical sphere.

Adopting the theme of “partnering for change, engaging the world,” the Philippines hopes to do what previous chairs have so far failed to achieve: make ASEAN relevant for its people, said Buensuceso.

“The change we are aiming for is a positive change in the lives of the people,” she told a “Talking ASEAN” discussion at the Habibie Center building.

“This is one lesson we got from Brexit; people should be at the core, and they must be made aware of what their institutions are doing for them.”