Aquino doing more than “pangangapitbahay”

As I write this piece, Philippine President Aquino would still be at the Istana Merdeka, the official residence of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyona.
By the time I finish this, Aquino would probably be in Singapore and by the time this gets off the press he would already be back in his official residence, Bahay Pangarap, inside the Presidential Security Group compound by the River Pasig.
As the Tagalogs would say, “na nga-ngapitbahay ang presidente” or as jejemon junkies would say “’la lang…gets mo?” Well, yes and no. Good neighbours exchange recipes and cooking tips but unlike the usual neighbour types, leaders of these neighbouring countries talk about bigger things affecting their people, or should be.
While one of his visit’s objectives is to witness the signing of some joint declarations among the Philippine’s ASEAN neighbours, including agreements on the fight against terrorism and other transnational crimes, educational exchange and sports, other important talking points would also be brought to the table.
More importantly, Aquino would have discussed with Indonesia the thorny issue of the oil-rich Spratlys islands, a territory disputed by China, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. This the president would have done as he pushes the idea of solving the long-standing territorial dispute in a way that would benefit all contending parties rather than escalating it to belligerent posturing that could spell destruction of lives, properties and relationships.
Just recently, for instance, the Philippines and China were at edge after two Chinese patrol boats shadowed a local exploration ship in the Reed Bank near the disputed territory. Observers say that China has been flexing its military muscles in this region these days while economically becoming an emerging global economic giant. This, as each of the claimant country maintains its respective military post in the area closely eyeing each other sometimes provocatively.
“We need to come up with a common ASEAN stand for exploration that would be beneficial to all parties,” said Aquino before he left for Indonesia. The same message he would probably deliver to his counterpart in Singapore.
It is about time that a solution mutually agreeable to all disputants be reached for the benefit of the region economically and politically. ASEAN member states must support this move especially at the time when China seems to exert effort to control the region while at the same time saying that it is committed to maintaining the stability in the China Seas where the Spratlys is.
Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and the Philippines, all ASEAN-member countries must work more closely on this issue and come up with a common stand in the face of Chinese aggressive bullying. What China is doing is challenging the unity of countries in the ASEAN.
The ASEAN countries are not alone in being worried of this growing concern. Japan and Australia, not to mention Taiwan which remains a pain on China’s side, are wary if not agitated by China’s antics. Meanwhile, the U.S. of A because of its interest in the region is closely watching these developments.
It is to the interest of these neighbouring countries to be united in issues that affect the region. The Spratlys is said to be a huge potential oil source and the first economies that should benefit this are those that are within the vicinity of the disputed territory. Aquino is proposing a joint exploration of these natural resources by all disputants. If this becomes the solution to the long standing standoff the countries involved in the claim must agree for the sake of peace and prosperity of the region and its people. Belligerence, hence war, has never been a solution to the world’s problems.
Actually, there is already a type of cooperation known as the East ASEAN Growth Area or BIMP-EAGA, involving Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines specifically southern Mindanao. —It is worth mentioning here that Indonesia actually has its Consulate in Davao City since the 1960s. — This subregional economic cooperation initiative is meant to spur unhindered economic growth in the focus area; i.e. free flow of people and goods.
The focus area covers an area of 1.6 million square kilometres with a combined population of 57.5 million. It is composed of Brunei Darussalam, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku, West Papua and Papua in Indonesia; the states of Sabah and Sarawak, and the federal territory of Labuan in Malaysia; and the island of Mindanao and the province of Palawan.
The whole ASEAN must closely look at this working model and perhaps expand it. Hopefully Aquino’s “panganagpitbahay” would closely forge harmony among the neighbour countries as none of them can afford to be in isolation in the context of a globalized world. The new secretary of the country’s foreign affairs, hopefully, would do his homework, too. Effective diplomacy is more than visiting your neighbours.