Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. is calling for the restoration of “status quo ante” or previous state of affairs amid rising political tension in the Southeast Asian country.
“The Philippines has been supportive of Myanmar’s progress towards a fuller democracy, cognizant of the Army’s role in preserving its territorial integrity and national security, as well as the unifying role of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in the history of the country and Army her father founded,” The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement.
“The realization of this democratic process can only be achieved through the complete restoration of the status quo ante,” it continued.
In a separate statement, Locsin said the problem involving Rohingyas “is not part of the democratic solution” to the ongoing affairs or the coup d’état in Myanmar.
He added that President Rodrigo Duterte has long offered refuge to their ethnic Muslim minority.
More than a hundred Filipinos from Myanmar are expected to be repatriated through a charter flight.
On February 1, the military seized control of the country under a year of state of emergency. Top officials, including the country’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi have been detained. – Report from Naomi Tiburcio
