proud to be pinoy

I felt a sense of pride as i watched the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations wave their hands as local and international photographers and videographers document them during the first day of the 12th ASEAN Summit at the Shangri-La Mactan Island Hotel Resort. Pride because I guess it was the first time that heads of states, who are in official function, deviated from the tradition of wearing coat-and-tie and dressed themselves in original hand-made "Barong Tagalog."

They looked very refreshing and comfy/neat in their attires as they stood for a picture against a backdrop of the clear Mactan Channel waters and colorful vintas (I envied them. I've been wishing to have my pic taken against such a breathtaking background or stand in that place and watch the fascinating view. Ahhhh...Cool!).

I'm proud that of all the places in the Philippines, they chose this beautiful island city of Cebu, the "Queen City of the South," as the host of this year's biggest gathering of ASEAN leaders.

And of course, I'm proud I'm a Filipino. Could not say I'm proud to be Cebuano because I am not one. However, i already considered Cebu as my second home. So let's all be proud! (hehehe)



ASEAN LEADERS ALL IN A ROW. With the clean and beautiful ocean as a backdrop, leaders of Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) attending the 12th ASEAN Summit wave their hands as they pose for a group picture outside the Mactan Summit Hall of the Shangri-la Hotel Mactan January 13. They are from left -- Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam, Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen of Cambodia, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia, Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh of Laos, Dato Seri Abdullah Bin Haji Ahmad Badawi of Malaysia, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore, Prime Minister Lt Gen Soe Win of Myanmar, Thai Prime Minister Gen. Surayud Chulanont and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung of Vietnam. (Photo and caption borrowed from www.12thaseansummit.org, the official website of the 12th ASEAN summit).

I guess i'm the most fortunate among the lucky reporters tasked to cover the summit because I was the only one who was able to take a glimpse (of course in flesh) of the dignitaries donned in the Philippine National Costume. But had I been caught having no permit to go there (because the event is strictly photo op, meaning no reporters allowed) I could have been the unluckiest as Sir Saul of the Media Affairs and Relations Office of the Malacañang announced: "Those who has no H5 passes (yep, media passes are in codes, depending on the event), get out of the hotel now!" I was pretending I was one of the volunteers so I was spared. Whew!

And this is the article i wrote about it:

Donned in traditional Filipino shirts hand-woven from banana and pineapple fibres, leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations yesterday started their annual summit, discussing counter-terrorism, trade and regional security and the first ever ASEAN charter.

Breaking the traditional coat-and-tie attire in formal meetings, the dignitaries looked at ease while they gather inside the Mactan Summit Hall, overlooking the sea at the Shangri-La Mactan Hotel and Resort in Lapu-Lapu City at 9 a .m. for the plenary and retreat.

After several hours of discussions, later on the day, the heads of states came to terms and signed a number of declarations including the ASEAN Convention on Counterterrorism, the ASEAN Declaration on Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers, the Cebu Declaration Towards One Caring and Sharing Community, and the Cebu Declaration on the Acceleration of the Establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015 (see separate story).

Several statements like the Statement on the DOHA Development Agenda of Two, the Instrument of Accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia , and the Statement of the ASEAN leaders on the Debt-Equity Proposal for Funding were also inked.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who was dressed in a beige linen barong-style dress, arrived at the venue of the meeting 30 minutes ahead of the 9 a .m. scheduled arrival of her fellow ASEAN heads of states. Arroyo, despite being the shortest, stood out among the dignitaries, being the summit’s host and the only woman in the group.

Brunei Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah arrived after Arroyo and followed by the leaders of the other member countries in alphabetical order.

The men, who wore short-sleeved linen barongs embroidered with brown trimmings, were welcomed by the only woman leader in the meeting. Each of the heads of states, including Arroyo, arrived on board a golf cart that ferried them from their respective cottages to the Mactan Summit Hall to a red carpet welcome.

Before entering the meeting's venue, the ASEAN leaders posed for their first group photo for the summit against the backdrop of the Mactan Channel where colorful vintas are sailing. Then they were led to the summit hall to start their first retreat session where they discussed very important issues that would determinethe future of the ASEAN.

Ambassador Victoriano Lecaros, the 12th ASEAN Summit's spokesperson said that the retreat style was adopted in the conduct of the sessions so the leaders' discussions would be informal and relaxed.

The heads of states looked very relaxed in their attires and the venue, where there are no tables, just sofas where they can sit comfortably as if they are in their own living rooms.

At the press conference at the Cebu International Convention Center, Lecaros said that each leader was given 10 to 15 minutes to "speak their minds on the issues," specifically security, economics and the ASEAN charter.

Lecaros added that there were also changes in some schedules of the meetings and signing of declarations and agreements because the discussions were finished ahead of schedule. "They moved faster than they think they could," he said.

Lecaros said that most of the leaders read their prepared statements on the medium-term development plan and "did not address each others on specific issues."