It was last Saturday, November 11, when people began ranting on social media about the crazy traffic in EDSA as several roads were closed to give way to arriving VIPs for the 31st ASEAN Summit.
Photo from CNN Philippines
Photo from Rappler
According to Dennis Coronacion, a professor of Political Science at the University of Santo Tomas, Pinoys associate ASEAN with heavy traffic caused by the priority lanes. In my opinion, this is a problem because ASEAN failed to address its importance to our lives and I hope that after this year’s summit, they will be able to bring ASEAN closer not only to the Filipinos but also to everyone because no matter how different we are, ethnically and culturally, it boils down to the fact that we need each other to make this world united.
I remember President Duterte once said that, we, Filipinos, must become catalysts of unity and harmony. It’s true, that today, the world requires a lot of unity among nations and with this year’s theme “Partnering for Change, Engaging the World”, people-focused issues will be tackled.
Photo from http://www.gmanetwork.com
The 31st ASEAN Summit officially begins today, November 13, 2017, to be led by President Rodrigo Duterte. Leaders from twenty (20) countries from the ASEAN Member States, Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea (ROK), Russia, United States (US), Canada, European Union (EU), and the United Nations Secretary General will be present in the said event that will run until Wednesday, November 15, 2017.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte formally opens 31st ASEAN Summit at the Cultural Center of the Philippines on Monday, November 13, 2017. Photo from Rappler
GREAT LEADERS ARE GREAT LISTENERS. ASEAN leaders listen to President Duterte’s welcoming remarks. Photo from Rappler
ASEAN has a lot of goals and aspirations and it may take a long time to achieve them. It’s easy to have the aim to transform ASEAN into a stable, prosperous, and highly competitive region with equitable economic development but the challenge and reward is in making those changes happen and I hope that President Duterte, together with other world leaders and everyone of us will have one vision, one identity and one community. Just like the traffic in Metro Manila, it may be a long road but I believe that we will eventually get there.
With reports from:
