The ASEAN Summit is probably the most important
event taking place in this part of the world. It’s all set to take place from
Nov. 10 to 14 with 21 world leaders plus United Nations Secretary-General
Antonio Guterres expected to attend. Aside from the heads of state of the 10
ASEAN member-nations, leaders of the regional bloc’s dialogue partners that
include Canada, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, China, Russia,
India, the European Union and of course the United States will be in attendance
for the Special Gala event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the
ASEAN.
Ambassador Marciano “Jun” Paynor, the National
Organizing Committee head, explained to us that the preparations have been one
of the most massive with so many ministerial meetings, technical working group
meetings, senior official meetings and other side meetings that have been
taking place.
Jun told me that close to 300 meetings are being
conducted throughout the year, and more than 240 have already been concluded
including the recent ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting in Clark participated in
by regional defense chiefs and their counterparts from partner countries. *
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| The Philippines is set to host the 30th Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Symmit and related meetings in Manila(photo credit to owner) |
I joined President Duterte’s meeting with US
Defense Secretary James Mattis together with Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea,
Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and
National Security Adviser Jun Esperon at the Clark Convention Center private
meeting room.
ASEAN 2017 is probably one of the most important
events to be hosted by the Philippines, with the magnitude of the preparations
similar if not even more than the country’s year-long hosting of the 2015 Asia
Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit which was capped by the APEC
Leaders’ Summit held in Manila and attended by 21 world leaders and more than
7,000 delegates and participants from government and the private sector.
Security measures are one of the most elaborate,
with some 9,000 cops deployed in Clark as the world leaders will be arriving
and departing via Clark Airport in Angeles City in Pampanga. Aside from
suspending classes, Malacañang has also imposed a 15-day gun ban in Metro
Manila and Central Luzon. To facilitate the smooth flow of traffic as the heads
of state and their respective contingents will be traveling to Manila where
they will be billeted, the North Luzon Expressway will be intermittently on
lockdown for several minutes until the convoys pass through.
It’s understandable why Clark Airport has been chosen
for the arrival and departure of the heads of state as the president does not
want NAIA to become even more congested – one of the lessons learned during the
APEC 2015 Leaders’ Summit when flight schedules were disrupted as commercial
flights had to be suspended whenever a head of state arrived. But then most
Filipinos – more often than not – understand that these situations occur. We
are such a hospitable people that we do not really get angry or bitch too much
about hosting such an important event as long as they are explained properly
and early enough so people can adjust accordingly. *
It would have been very ideal to just hold the
leaders’ summit in Clark, as Bases Conversion Development Authority president
and CEO Vince Dizon had been working hard to prepare the ASEAN Villas in the
Clark Ecozone for the use of the world leaders. Unfortunately, there are simply
not enough hotels to accommodate other participants and delegates, not to
mention the security detail for these world leaders, each one of whom would
most likely be sending advance teams to check on security preparations and
other pertinent details.
One of the most elaborate security preparations
will undoubtedly be that of the United States for President Donald Trump. We
are all aware of the current situation and issues surrounding North Korea. The
most vital security component for the US president is Air Force One, with an
exact B-747 duplicate to be used as a decoy and transport Secret Service agents
and other members of Trump’s contingent. Air Force One is the symbol of
America’s strength and power but is also used as the flying White House when
there is potential danger. George Bush was on Air Force One for eight hours
right after the 9/11 attacks.
Three US Navy aircraft carriers are already in
the Pacific ahead of Trump’s visit – and each carrier strike group can have 10
ships, over 7,500 personnel and dozens of jet fighters and other aircraft as
support. These aircraft carriers are truly massive and are not dependent on
land bases to project air power. *
When Trump visited Israel last May, 25 C-17s and
two C5 transport planes were deployed to carry the logistical equipment as well
as helicopters, vehicles for the Secret Service and a special armored limousine
known as “The Beast” to transport the president by land. Aside from that, five
VH-60 helicopters also accompanied the president when he had to travel by land
in Jerusalem.
One can only imagine the huge expense that will
be incurred for the US president’s visit, but as US Ambassador Sung Kim said,
this is really an important trip for President Trump. We are all hopeful the
bilateral meeting between President Trump and President Duterte will be
extremely successful.
With all the preparations in place, everyone is
optimistic that everything will turn out well for this ASEAN meeting. This
event is about the ASEAN and our country, and the distinct opportunity of
putting our world-renowned hospitality in the spotlight. Needless to say,
President Duterte as the ASEAN chairman will have the rare privilege of setting
the agenda and focusing on what our country is doing to promote peace, security
and economic prosperity for all.
The article was written by Phil. Ambassador to the US Babe Romualdez of Philippine Star titled “The importance of the ASEAN Summit ” which was published October 29, 2017.
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