By Katrina Gracia Consebido
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday, Nov. 14, said he is honored to meet his fellow Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders during his trip to Cambodia for the 40th and 41st Summits in Phnom Penh.
In his arrival speech at the Villamor Airbase, the President said his trip was ‘very successful’ and expressed gratitude for all the efforts and contributions of ASEAN countries for the country.
“I was honored to meet them and I thanked them for their efforts and contribution to our nation’s progress and development, as well as that of Cambodia’s,” Marcos said.
Marcos also said that he was able to articulate our national interests during his trip to Cambodia and that he is grateful to have the opportunity to convey his plans for the Philippines as well as to address existing challenges with other countries.
“Tayo, sa Pilipinas, we also got the opportunity to put forward our position, our plans, and to find ways where we can help each other,” he added.
Marcos said that the other ASEAN countries share the same concerns as the Philippines, and that they also need to find common ground in addressing the issues as they thrive to revive the economic situation in their respective states.
“Pare-pareho kasi, food supply, presyo ng fertilizer, presyo ng langis, yun ang inaalala. Supply side problems, parehong-pareho sa atin… Nagkakaunawaan lahat ng member states. Hindi kaya nang mag-isa, kailangan sama-sama,” he continued.
“In all these meetings, we articulated our national interests and our commitment to working with ASEAN and our Dialogue Partners to find common ground to address the issues affecting our region and to strengthen cooperation,” Marcos said.
Meanwhile, Marcos lauded the Cambodian government for their hospitality to the Philippine delegation.
