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President Gloria Arroyo appealed for the passage of the Asean
Charter for further economic integration within the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean, the Philippine government said in
a statement on Friday.
Economic integration within Asean is imperative
to face the challenges of globalization, the Chief Executive said
during an Independence Day reception on Thursday in Malacañang.
“Certainly, economic integration among Asean
nations is imperative if we, as a region, are to take advantage of
the expanding global trade and economic opportunities,” the
President added.
Mrs. Arroyo said strong global engagement and
the establishment of an Asean Charter would “certainly” open
more opportunities for its member-countries.
“We are thrilled at the prospect of a vibrant
Asean. We hold great hope for the Asean Charter, which will be the
first and the boldest step toward the creation of a regional
economic community,” she added.
During its chairmanship, the Philippines pushed
for the establishment of an Asean Charter to create a single
regional community by 2015, that was eventually signed by the Asean
leaders in Singapore, and is now up for ratification by the
member-countries, the statement said.
“As for the passage of the Asean Charter, we
would love nothing more than to see Asean consolidate its gains and
move closer together. However, we’ll leave this up to the
Philippine Senate which has been asked to review the charter for
ratification,” the President said.
According to Mrs. Arroyo, the Philippines is
doing its part to “create a world that is more humane.” She
cited the “sympathy” extended to the people of Sichuan province,
which was recently hit by a devastating earthquake, and the medical
teams sent to Myanmar to help the people there recover from a deadly
cyclone.
The President said the Philippines is also
coordinating with Asean neighbors in sending financial aid to
Myanmar.
Asean groups Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia,
Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand and Vietnam.
-- Xinhua
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