MANILA, Philippines – NAGSIMULA na nitong Miyerkules, Mayo 21, ang pagpupulong ng mga member-states ng Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) para sa isang maritime security dialogue sa Maynila na tatagal hanggang Mayo 23 para pag-usapan ang mga oportunidad at mga balakid sa pagsusulong para sa rules-based order sa rehiyon.
Sa isang press conference, araw ng Martes, sinabi ni nonprofit group We Protect our Seas (WPS) president Dr. Jeffrey Ordaniel na kabilang sa dayalogo ay ang akademya, policy elites, at maritime practitioners.
“Many of you, I think, attended the Manila Dialogue in the South China Sea last year in November. And one of the things we have observed in that dialogue was the prevalence of the ‘do not make us choose’ narrative or that Southeast Asian states should maintain strategic autonomy on maritime issues,” aniya pa rin.
Tinukoy naman ni Ordaniel na maaaring pag-usapan ng mga ASEAN countries ang mga hakbang para sa rules-based maritime order sa South China Sea nang hindi isinasangkot ang Estados Unidos at Tsina.
“What we mean by ‘do not make us choose?’ Because obviously, when we talk about the South China Sea, the Philippine government broadly is interested in advancing a rules-based maritime order,” ang sinabi ni Ordaniel.
“But for some reason, that may be interpreted as siding with one power over the other. But what we want to highlight here is that this is a dialogue without great powers without the involvement of China or the United States,” ang winika pa rin ni Ordaniel.
Isinama naman sa dayalogo ang Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) at ang National Maritime Council (NSC).
Sa kabilang dako, sinabi ni De La Salle University professor Renato de Castro, na ang dayalogo ay oportunidad para sa ASEAN members na ihayag ang kanilang mga pananaw sa usapin.
“One key perspective that all ASEAN member states agree on is the fact that the South China Sea issue should be out of the great power competition,” ang sinabi ni De Castro.
“The Philippines and, of course, other ASEAN countries when it comes to the South China Sea issue should exercise their agency. The fact that for these littoral states like the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, of course, the issue there is the fact that we’re focused on Chinese expansive claims,” aniya pa rin. Kris Jose
