President Benigno S. Aquino III and Delegation Leaving To Attend 21st ASEAN Summit In Phnom Penh, Cambodia

President Benigno S. Aquino III is leaving today to attend the 21st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit on November 18-20, 2012, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. ASEAN is composed of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Summit theme, “ASEAN: One Community, One Destiny,” reflects the aspirations of the ASEAN people to transform the region into a unified, cohesive community, with political, security, economic, and socio-cultural harmony.

The 7th East Asia Summit (EAS) will be held immediately after the 21st ASEAN Summit. The EAS is a forum attended by leaders of 18 countries in the East Asian Region. The leaders of the 10 ASEAN member-states will be joined by the leaders of Australia, South Korea, China, Japan, and the United States, and officials of international organizations such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization, and the Asian Development Bank.

The ASEAN leaders will discuss the building of the ASEAN Community by 2015, implementing the ASEAN Charter, and expanding co-operative relations with ASEAN’s partners. They will review the progress that the regional bloc has achieved in implementing the three pillars of the Roadmap for ASEAN Community: Political-Security, Economic and Socio-Cultural, and Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity. They will discuss issues and concerns related to stability and security in the region, and the contributions of major partners in the ASEAN economic integration by 2015, and the need to boost cooperation to address social issues, especially the rights of women, children, the disabled, elderly and disadvantaged groups.

President Aquino will share with participants the robust growth in the Philippine economy, achievements in trade and tourism, the bullish Business Process Outsourcing industry, and agricultural self-sufficiency. He will discuss with foreign business leaders investment prospects. He will dialogue with Filipinos working in Cambodia, mostly skilled workers and professionals.

We wish H.E. President Benigno S. Aquino III and Members of his Delegation bon voyage on their official trip to attend the 21st Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit and the 7th East Asia Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. We wish them the best and success in all endeavors. MABUHAY!

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