In his welcome address during the opening of the ASEAN Inter-Parliament Organization held at the Marco Polo Plaza Hotel, the vice president also invited the participants from different ASEAN member countries and observing countries to discover more about Cebu.
"I hope that you will have enough time in between sessions to discover the many aspects of the Filipino culture in Cebu. Cebu is likewise rich in history, as the place in the Philippines where the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan first landed in 1521 and as a thriving center of commerce and trade even before western powers came to these islands," De Castro said.
With the hosting of Cebu of the ASEAN Summit, he said: "It is but fitting to recognize the efforts of the local leaders who will make sure that you stay in Cebu now and in the future will be truly memorable and comfortable."
He made special mention to Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and the rest of the local chief executives of the other cities.
De Castro also recalled how the ASEAN prospered, from a loosely knit political grouping whose members have their own misunderstandings, to a 10-country association bound together in multi-dimensional ties where ideological differences no longer matter.
"As the ASEAN enters its fourth decade of existence, it must reinvent itself to be more relevant to our modern society," he said.
He also enumerated the achievements of the association like the establishment of the ASEAN Free Trade Area, the Vientiane Action Plan, Bali Concord II and other agreements and declarations.
But De Castro stressed that much work would still need to be done to realize the goal of ASEAN in "building a people-centered community of caring societies."
"As you, the region’s parliamentarians, spend the next few days to talk about serious issues like regional economic integration, terrorism, and transnational crimes, it is our fervent wish that you also consider ways of bringing the ASEAN closer to the people of the region," he stressed. – Wenna A. Berondo