On the heels of ASEAN Summit

That the ASEAN Summit was a great success is without question which, even the cynics and ill-wishers, have to admit even grudgingly, if so. Hence, the government organizing committee and their prime movers can take pride and, have earned a collective pat on their backs. While undoubtedly some "bongga" expenses have to be accounted for and liquidated, the extravagance could be well compensated and justified overall. Starting from the aspects of socializing and entertainment, say, the side agenda for the spouses of the Summit leaders, and the cultural presentations for the visitors, whatever incidental headaches and minor snafus, pale from the tremendous goodwill reaped in return.

On the Summit main business agenda, regional tie-ups were forged on ASEAN commitments on counter-terrorism and security, migrant/overseas workers, integrated regional trade and economic relations, energy security, the ASEAN charter blueprint, etc. These all spell out its theme of "One Caring and Sharing Community". Not to douse cold water into the Summit fire, or just plain sour-graping, nonetheless, there are other critical issues that ASEAN as a regional aggrupation should have also addressed.

Firstly, among the 10 ASEAN members, Burma or Myanmar which gained last entry into ASEAN, if one recalls right, appears to be the fly in the ointment for non-observance of humane tenets of governance. The long "house-arrest" of duly-elected Aung San Suu Kyi by the military junta, not to mention the latter's reported atrocities over the indigenous Myanmar natives, is something that ASEAN leadership can not pretend to be blind. In fact, as the 12th Summit was yet approaching, there had been hinted suggestions of coming out with a sort of communiqué of "interference" - short of "intervention" - to prod tactfully Myanmar's junta to end Aung San Suu Kyi's ordeal. Sadly, nothing came out.

Secondly, the Summit didn't come up with a united stand to respect one another's territorial borders and sea lanes, including even non-ASEAN "talking partners", say, China or South Korea. As the host country, the Philippines ought to have taken this advocacy, since its territorial waters are often violated by foreign fishing poachers with impunity.

Thirdly, while integrated regional economy was the main focus, no specific proscriptions and sanctions against indiscriminate dumping of goods - by outright smuggling - to the detriment of the economy of the countries being dumped. On the other hand, "free trade" especially vis-à-vis talking partner China means escalation of dumping violations of all sorts of goods.

Lastly, the Summit did not address the pandemic problem of mankind on the apocalyptic reality of global warming due to irregular climate change. As the ozone layer over the polar regions, as in Antarctica, is increasingly depleted and, the ozone hole getting wider by millions of miles, mankind suffers from the wrath of Mother Nature. And as the world continues unabated to burn fossil fuels bombarding greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, so does mankind languish in lingering death from the global warming adverse cycles. Thus, the worsening of typhoons and hurricanes, earthquakes and tsunamis, extreme ultra violet heat and forest wildfires, drought and famine, floods and landslides. And yet, mankind gloats over progress and, like Nero, harps or fiddles in abject apathy.

It's sad that as nations, regardless of religious creed, mouth their allegiance and reverence for God, or recite paeans and prayers - for the intercession of Christ, or the Virgin Mary, or the Holy Child by the Catholics, for one - mankind does not do enough appeasement in deeds of Mother Nature's anger.

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