House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and other lawmakers today considered as successful and productive the just concluded 38th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) as a number of significant resolutions about social, economic and organization matters were passed by the delegates during the plenary session and that constructive dialogues on political, economic and security issues of mutual concern in the region were conducted by AIPA delegates and representatives of observer countries.
The Speaker and the lawmakers gave their assessment during a briefing held after the closing ceremony of the 38th AIPA General Assembly which was held from September 14 to 19 at the Makati Shangri-la Hotel.
At the end of the conference, 21 resolutions were approved/adopted by the AIPA General Assembly through consensus-building among the delegates, according to the Speaker.
The Speaker explained that in the spirit of brotherhood and mutual respect, AIPA had provided in its Statutes (Article 9, item 7) that “Decisions by the General Assembly on any subject shall be made by consensus.”
Stressing the significance of the conference this year, Alvarez said that in addition to the 38th General Assembly coinciding with the 50th Anniversary of the ASEAN and the 40th Anniversary of AIPA, the regional grouping’s adoption of “inclusive change” represents a pivot towards a more people-centered and people-oriented policy approach.
Rep. Dakila Carlo Cua (Lone District, Quirino), chairman of House committee on ways and means and chairman of the AIPA Organizing Committee, said the Philippines is enjoying this year the twin honors of the AIPA Presidency in the person of Speaker Alvarez and the ASEAN Chairmanship in the person of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Cua said AIPA has decided to address during the General Assembly non-traditional security threats such as transnational crimes, drug trafficking, and disaster relief and recovery.
Cua said a total of 130 Members of Parliaments were present during this year’s General Assembly, representing 111 delegates from the 10 AIPA Member Countries and 19 delegates from nine AIPA Observer Countries.
The 10 AIPA Member Countries are Brunei Darussalem, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The nine Observer Countries which sent their delegation are Australia, Belarus, Canada, European Parliament, India, Japan, People’s Republic of China, Republic of Korea, and Russian Federation.
Cua said three countries were represented by their Leaders of Parliament, namely Cambodia, Lao PDR and Thailand while Brunei and the Philippines, were represented by their Speakers.
Moreover, Cua said Guests of the Host Country and international organizations were likewise present at the General Assembly. They are the ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN Supreme Audit Institution (ASEANSAI), Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), German Delegation/GIZ, Parliament Institute of Cambodia (PIC), and USAID Wildlife Asia/Freeland.
The AIPA represents the parliamentary arm of each of the ASEAN nations. It seeks to foster closer cooperation among the respective legislatures and peoples of ASEAN Member States in a spirit of brotherhood and friendship, in order to meet the challenges of developing its societies in this modern age.
The AIPA aims to promote its common ASEAN identity and a sense of belonging among its peoples in order to achieve its shared destiny, goals and values. For these reasons, it shares with the ASEAN the same motto: “One Vision, One Identity, One Community.
Cua said that since the Presidency of the AIPA rotates among its members on an alphabetical basis and there are 10 AIPA Member Countries, the Philippines would again host another general assembly 10 years from now.
The Head of Delegation of the Philippines is House Majority Leader Rodolfo Farinas. The Delegation Members are : Deputy Speakers Raneo Abu, Pia Cayetano, Sharon Garin, Ferdinand Hernandez, Romero Quimbo, and Linabelle Ruth Villarica, Reps. Dakila Carlo Cua, Len Alonte, Sol Aragones, Rose Marie Arenas, Robert Ace Barbers, Rodel Batocabe, Juan Pablo Bondoc, Christopher Vera Perez De Venecia, Eugene Michael De Vera, Arthur Defensor, Jr., Elenita Milagros Ermita-Buhain, Ana Cristina Siquian Go, Lucy Gomez, Ann Hofer, Edward Vera Perez Maceda, Jesulito Manalo, Karlo Alexei Nograles, Enrico Pineda, Yedda Marie Romualdez, Xavier Jesus Romualdo, Joey Salceda, Ron Salo, Mark Aeron Sambar, Edgar Sarmiento, Lorna Silverio, Angelina Helen Tan, M.D., Abraham Tolentino, Sherwin Tugna, Reynaldo Umali, Lord Allan Jay Velasco, Arthur Yap and Divina Grace Yu. House Secretary-General Atty. Cesar Strait Pareja is the Delegation Advisor while Deputy Secretary-General Rumolo Emmanuel Miral, Jr. and Novel Bangsal are the Delegation Secretaries. | Congress
