The pitfalls of Asean neutrality

January 16, 2024

MANILA – It’s often said that good fences make good neighbors, but in the case of the Philippines, the fence is the deep blue sea, one it has the misfortune of sharing with China and a handful of other claimants.

While the archipelago’s location has its unique advantages, its distance from the rest of Southeast Asia extends beyond geography. Be it in trade, religion, culture, or diplomacy, an unspoken rift looms between Filipinos and their closest neighbors despite similar skin tones and shared ancestries.

Once, the Philippines was described in a Lonely Planet guide as “Southeast Asia’s odd child.”

It doesn’t help that the regional grouping that links our societies and economies together, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), is stubbornly hands-off on matters concerning its 10 member states, even the ones in deep crisis, like Myanmar.

Fruitful, honest discussionOn Wednesday, the arrival in Manila of Indonesian President Joko Widodo served as a reminder to Filipinos of the untapped potential of our membership in Asean and the imperative for this small community of nations to truly come together as one bloc.

During their bilateral meeting in Malacañang, President Marcos and Widodo engaged in a “fruitful and honest discussion” on “regional events of mutual interest such as the developments in South China Sea and Asean cooperation and initiative.”

Beyond carefully crafted statements, however, there were scant details on their conversation. What was quite telling was that the two leaders chose not to broach the long-delayed code of conduct for the South China Sea, leaving such an important subject to their ministers.

“On the South China Sea, Indonesia is ready to work together with all Asean