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BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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Monday, March 6, 2017
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ILOILO City – Amid tight security, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ two-day 22nd Senior Officials Committee for the ASEAN (SOCA) Council Meeting kicks off today at the Iloilo Convention Center in Mandurriao district.
This will be followed by the March 8 to 9 17th ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Council meeting.
For security reasons, the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) is not disclosing the number of policemen it has mobilized since March 1 but spokesperson Superintendent Gilbert Gorero said it is by the thousands.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) hosts these two ASEAN meetings.
The 22nd SOCA is chaired by Undersecretary Florita R. Villa, Philippine SOCA leader. It will be attended by 80 delegates from the 10 ASEAN member states and the ASEAN deputy-secretary general for ASCC, Vongthep Arthakaivalvatee.
The opening ceremony for the 17th ASCC Council Meeting will be held on March 8. This will have 120 delegates.
Policemen have been posted on streets, malls, hotels, and restaurants, among many other places where people usually converge.
The PRO-6 has also enforced an 18-day gun ban in Iloilo City starting March 3. All permits to carry firearms outside of residence (PTCFOR) are suspended.
According to Hannah Giray Carcido, social welfare officer under DSWD’s Policy Development and Planning Bureau, the Philippine delegation to the ministerial meeting is composed of representatives from the Department of Labor and Employment and Civil Service Commission. They are supported by Philippine committee on ASCC composed of 22 agencies in the country.
ASCC is one of the three pillars of ASEAN. It aims to contribute to realizing an ASEAN Community that is people-oriented and socially responsible, with a view to achieving enduring solidarity and unity among the peoples and member states.
On March 9, ministry senior officials and ASEAN member-states delegates will have a city tour of Iloilo.
For security reasons, only members of the police, Armed Forces of the Philippines and other law enforcement agencies performing official duties are allowed to carry firearms but they must also be in their agency-prescribed uniform, said PRO-6’s Gorero.
There will be round-the-clock checkpoints, said Senior Inspector Shella Mae Sangrines, spokesperson of the Iloilo City Police Office.
This is not the first time Iloilo City is hosting a huge international event. It hosted meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation on disaster risk reduction, small, and medium enterprises, and food security from Sept. 21 to Oct. 6, 2015. The Iloilo Convention Center was the site of these meetings.
ASEAN 2017 PRIORITIES
With the theme, “Partnering for Change, Engaging the World,” the ASEAN 2017 is anchored on six priorities. These are:
* a people-oriented, people-centered ASEAN
* peace and stability in the region
* maritime security in the region
* inclusive, innovative-led growth
* resilient ASEAN
* ASEAN, a model of regionalism, a global player.
DSWD is responsible in shepherding two themes, the “Peace and Stability and Resilient ASEAN”, specifically to intensify efforts towards a people-oriented, people centered ASEAN.
With this, the Philippines intend to ensure promotion and protection of the rights of migrant workers, vulnerable sector (women, children, persons with disabilities, older persons, internally displaced persons, indigenous people, among others).
It also targets to promote appreciation of cultural heritage and strengthening the ASEAN cultural identity, intensify access to healthcare and improved nutrition, and promote the role of the civil service as catalyst for achieving ASEAN Vision 2025.
Also, to strengthen the ASEAN’s resilience, in consideration of the intensity of natural and human-induced disasters that the ASEAN is experiencing, it is poised to further ensure environmental protection, carry out climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction and mitigation related-activities, and intensify protection of our biodiversity, thru the programs, projects and activities of our ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity./PN
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