BRUNEICAMBODIAINDONESIALAOSMALAYSIAMYANMARPHILIPPINES
SINGAPORETHAILANDVIETNAMHANDINHANDASEAN
There nothing wrong with your computer monitor. The countries of Southeast Asia should’ve bonded like that a long time ago. From January 10 to 14, the leaders of ASEAN (the East Asian Leaders on the 15th ), gathered in Cebu to fulfill the dream of a One Caring, One sharing community (with emphasis on ONE). Ambitious as it may seem, ASEAN is now pondering on the idea of laying out the foundation of its constitution that the European Union have tried to perfect in the last few years. ASEAN officials now refer to each other in a candid and neighborly manner. They could discuss anything that sometimes it is misconstrued as breaching the “non-interference in internal affairs” policy. The Eminent Persons Group (the council of the elderly of ASEAN) even floated the initiative that ASEAN will not support non-democratic transition of governments among its member countries. I find this very nebulous, for it should define what is “non-democratic” in the first place. Is the monarchy-backed military-run government of Thailand democratic? Even the governments of Myanmar and Brunei do not seem to jive with this premise. The most significant highlight of the 12th ASEAN Summit is the adoption of the agreement on the protection of the rights of migrant workers in the region, which the Philippines led. But how do we patronize our ASEAN/East Asian brothers? How come the Singaporean band sensation Lizard’s Convention (the singer of the revived “Wooden Heart” in my high school years http://www.geocities.com/sunsetstrip/backstage/2337/) is not as famous in the Philippines as Christian Bautista in Indonesia? Do we ever think of “ASEAN first” in our vacations? Do the goals of ASEAN unity incorporated in the curriculum of our students?
Anyways, after the serious matters, here comes fun>>> the CEBU experience. Cebu is my second home. I am there during the first half of 2006 for the Cebu Interfaith Dialogue. Cebuanos are very cooperative cheerful people. They get things done in a very “Sinulog” way. I am part of the Sub-committee on Airport Protocol at Mactan Cebu International Airport and I consider that as the highlight of my protocol career. 13 Chartered flights departing at almost the same time is a feat that is unequaled in Cebu’s history. Inspite of that, every leader was given a dose of the Cebuano hospitality. The Sinulog dancers were all smiles amidst the heat of the sun or pouring rain. Just watching them perform makes my tiredness go away. Cebu’s nightlife is also superb. I’ve been to Vudu and Yo Latino at Crossroads. You can’t find a place in the Philippines where in minutes you could be in a resort then in a cosmopolitan area afterwards. I love Cebu. I wish I stayed until the Sinulog festival. (This is a very late blog. For more: http://www.12thaseansummit.org/ )
SINGAPORETHAILANDVIETNAMHANDINHANDASEAN
There nothing wrong with your computer monitor. The countries of Southeast Asia should’ve bonded like that a long time ago. From January 10 to 14, the leaders of ASEAN (the East Asian Leaders on the 15th ), gathered in Cebu to fulfill the dream of a One Caring, One sharing community (with emphasis on ONE). Ambitious as it may seem, ASEAN is now pondering on the idea of laying out the foundation of its constitution that the European Union have tried to perfect in the last few years. ASEAN officials now refer to each other in a candid and neighborly manner. They could discuss anything that sometimes it is misconstrued as breaching the “non-interference in internal affairs” policy. The Eminent Persons Group (the council of the elderly of ASEAN) even floated the initiative that ASEAN will not support non-democratic transition of governments among its member countries. I find this very nebulous, for it should define what is “non-democratic” in the first place. Is the monarchy-backed military-run government of Thailand democratic? Even the governments of Myanmar and Brunei do not seem to jive with this premise. The most significant highlight of the 12th ASEAN Summit is the adoption of the agreement on the protection of the rights of migrant workers in the region, which the Philippines led. But how do we patronize our ASEAN/East Asian brothers? How come the Singaporean band sensation Lizard’s Convention (the singer of the revived “Wooden Heart” in my high school years http://www.geocities.com/sunsetstrip/backstage/2337/) is not as famous in the Philippines as Christian Bautista in Indonesia? Do we ever think of “ASEAN first” in our vacations? Do the goals of ASEAN unity incorporated in the curriculum of our students?
Anyways, after the serious matters, here comes fun>>> the CEBU experience. Cebu is my second home. I am there during the first half of 2006 for the Cebu Interfaith Dialogue. Cebuanos are very cooperative cheerful people. They get things done in a very “Sinulog” way. I am part of the Sub-committee on Airport Protocol at Mactan Cebu International Airport and I consider that as the highlight of my protocol career. 13 Chartered flights departing at almost the same time is a feat that is unequaled in Cebu’s history. Inspite of that, every leader was given a dose of the Cebuano hospitality. The Sinulog dancers were all smiles amidst the heat of the sun or pouring rain. Just watching them perform makes my tiredness go away. Cebu’s nightlife is also superb. I’ve been to Vudu and Yo Latino at Crossroads. You can’t find a place in the Philippines where in minutes you could be in a resort then in a cosmopolitan area afterwards. I love Cebu. I wish I stayed until the Sinulog festival. (This is a very late blog. For more: http://www.12thaseansummit.org/ )
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