SEVERAL members of the House of the Representatives, including Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, urged the executive department to exclude representatives of Myanmar’s military junta from the 49th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit and other high-level political meetings being hosted by the Philippines this year.
De Lima, along with Akbayan Partylist Representatives Dadah Kiram Ismula, Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno and Percival “Perci” Cendaña, and Dinagat Islands Rep. Arlene “Kaka” Bag-ao, issued House Resolution No. 1614, calling on the regional bloc to implement the Five-Point Consensus for the promotion of inclusive engagement in resolving the Myanmar crisis and strengthened cooperation among member-states.
Adopted by Asean leaders in April 2021, the Five-Point Consensus calls for an immediate cessation of violence, dialogue among all parties, humanitarian assistance, and a peaceful resolution of the civil war in Myanmar.
They said the Philippines’ hosting of the Asean Summit and related meetings provides an opportunity to demonstrate principled regional leadership and reaffirm the bloc’s commitment to fully implementing the consensus and achieving a peaceful, inclusive, and durable resolution to the crisis.
De Lima pointed out how the Myanmar junta has dialed up its campaign of terror and atrocities since seizing power in 2021.
“How can Asean leaders trust the commitment of representatives of the military junta to promoting peace and strengthening regional cooperation when they continue to commit violence and human rights violations against the people of Myanmar?” she said.
De Lima said Asean cannot turn a blind eye to or disregard the abuses and suffering amid the unrest in Myanmar since it is “of paramount concern to the international community.”
