By Darryl John Esguerra | Philippine News Agency
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Friday acknowledged growing frustration among Southeast Asian leaders over the lack of progress in addressing the crisis in Myanmar, describing it as a “thorny problem” still without clear solutions.
Speaking after the Retreat session of the 48th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Cebu, Marcos Jr. said ASEAN leaders held extensive closed-door discussions on Myanmar and agreed that more efforts are needed to move the stalled peace process forward.
“We all agree that we would like to see more progress. We all agree that we all should try very hard to find ways to shift what has become a moribund process right now. It is not moving,” Marcos told local and international media.
The President said ASEAN leaders expressed frustration over the lack of implementation of the bloc’s Five-Point Consensus, the peace framework adopted by ASEAN and accepted by Myanmar aimed at ending violence and restoring dialogue in the country.
Myanmar continues to face internal conflict and humanitarian challenges following years of political instability and fighting involving the military government and resistance groups.
“There has been a nano-shift, perhaps, in the approach to the situation in Myanmar,” Marcos said, while emphasizing that ASEAN would not abandon its core principles, including respect for human rights, rule of law, and ASEAN Centrality.
Marcos Jr. clarified that ASEAN continues to recognize Myanmar as a member-state and that current discussions are not about withdrawing recognition but about finding ways to encourage progress toward normalization.
He said ASEAN foreign ministers were tasked to continue discussions and explore possible approaches that could help restart the stalled process.
The President also underscored the humanitarian dimension of the crisis.
“Myanmar is not merely a trade partner. Myanmar is not merely a friend to ASEAN. Myanmar is part of the ASEAN family, and it is a tragedy when a family member is left out of the family for whatever reason,” he said.
ASEAN leaders have been divided on how to engage Myanmar, with some member states pushing for broader engagement, while others insist that the military-led government must first demonstrate substantial progress on the Five-Point Consensus before high-level reintegration into ASEAN processes.
