China okay to have freedom of navigation in draft resolution

Zubiri made this announcement on Saturday, the last day of the 31st Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF).

Zubiri said the resolution is a consolidated move of the Philippines and China regarding maritime issues in the South China Sea and West Philippine Sea. The consolidated resolution made it through the committee level of Political and Security Matters and is expected to be adopted by the plenary.

He said China’s acceptance can be considered ‘key essential’ to the success of the APPF hosted by the Philippines.

Zubiri thanked members of the Senate and the House of Representatives for the smooth hosting of the forum. He said all 10 resolutions endorsed have been adopted in the Drafting Committee, which will then be endorsed to the Final Plenary for the Joint Communiqué.

The resolutions cover various topics such as strengthening the capacity of parliaments to promote peace and stability, the Korean Peninsula, combatting transnational crimes, rethinking critical infrastructure, enhancing regional cooperation on climate action, biodiversity conservation, and disaster risk reduction, human capital development and inclusive growth, regional cooperation through education and culture, universal healthcare in the Asia-Pacific, gender and sustainable development goals, and women’s participation and leadership.

“Other than the adoption of these resolutions, we were able to lobby for our bid for a seat in the United Nations Security Council for the period 2027-2028 and we secured firm and new commitments from the countries we have approached, in fact some of them even wrote us to formalize their commitments,” said Zubiri.

“This is a big achievement not only for our hosting of the APPF but also for the administration of President Bongbong Marcos which shows that the main branches of government are collaborating and working in unison for our national interests,” he added. — Joel E. Zurbano