This is proof that PH earned more than what it spent in ASEAN -blog, netizen

President Rodrigo Duterte and the Filipinos with the Philippine flag, photo compiled from Google

A blog site laid out the reaasons why the recently concluded Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit has brought benefits to the country that exceed its investments in the event.

The event drew to a close on November 14.



With President Rodrigo Duterte being the ASEAN's chairman, the event was held in Manila and cost the Philippines 15.5 billion pesos.

One of the benefits, it said is the protection of Filipino migrant workers

Two hundred thousand migrant wokers not only from the Philippines, but other parts of Asia will allegedly benefit after Duterte shed light on their situation.

This is through the signing of the ASEAN Consensus on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers - also provides for respect for gender and nationality and protection against violence and sexual harassment in the workplace.

It added that the summit will also benefot the rehabilitation of Marawi City, after the four month long battle from terrorists groups which led massive destruction to the city.

The blog also noted the billions in donations and pledges to the Philippines by other countries.

China allegedly donate 1.5 billion pesos to the country,  the United States, 14.3 million dollars Vietnam has expressed its intent to give a pledge, and gave an initial 4,000 bags of rice.



Duterte has also received support for his war on drugs. The US thrpugh President Donald Trump offered 2 million dollars for country's drug demand reduction program.

The Philippines also received support against terrorism and radical extremism.

Japan will be providing help to help improve the country's maritime surveillance capability and pledged 6.7 billion pesos.

Trade barriers between the Philippines and Hongkong has been reduced, as a Free Trade Agreement has been signed by the two countries which leads to an increase from the ₱421.7 billion (2015) total Hongkong-Philippines. US is also eyeing FTA with the country.

The blog concluded by saying that the hours and billions spent on the event did not go to waste, as the country expects to earn more from it.

Further, a netizen by the name of Kent Tangcalagan added another items on the list of benefits.

He noted over ₱355 billion in soft loans and grants to fund infrastructure (e.g. railway, expressway, irrigation, drug rehabilitation centers). Fourteen deals were signed between the two countries covering the above in addition to youth development, climate change, defense and intellectual property.

He added the pledges of Japan aside from the maritime surveillance, which are: ₱46 billion in financing agreement to build Metro Manila’s first ever subway to decongest traffic in the capital. ₱4 billion in financing agreement to build the Philippines-Japan friendship highway connecting Metro Manila and Central Luzon. And lastly, ₱1 billion in aid to rehabilitate war-torn Marawi.



He also noted the ASEAN and China’s signing of Declaration for a Decade of Coastal and Marine Environmental Protection in the South China Sea, expected to last from 2017 to 2027.

He further stated that there is a total of  ₱715 million from Canada in investment over five years to improve access to reproductive health in the Philippines

He noted the  signing of three memorandums of agreement (MOAs) with New Zealand with regards to education, joint airline marketing, geothermal energy experience sharing and improvement of weather intelligence and the signing of nine MOAs with the Russian Federation with regards to energy cooperation, fighting terrorism, railway infrastructure exploration, transport education and inter-departmental government partnerships.

More of Tangcalagan's post are as follows: 

- FTA proposal between ASEAN and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), a trade block comprising of Russian Federation, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan.

- FTA bilateral proposal between Philippines the European Union, pending EU conditions of trade regulations in relation to the latter’s operational definition of “human rights” and “rule of law”.

-The Focused and Strategic (FAST) Action Agenda on Investment which aligns with the goals and four pillars of the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement (ACIA)

-The maiden voyage of the ASEAN RO-RO that plied the Davao-General Santos-Bitung route



-The adoption of the ASEAN Seamless Trade Facilitation Indicators (ASTFI) by the ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) in September 2017

-The development of the ASEAN Inclusive Business Framework (AIBF) that to promote Inclusive Business in ASEAN

-The adoption of the ASEAN Work Programme on Electronic Commerce (AWPEC) 2017-2025 in September 2017

- The Philippines’ first full and comprehensive Country Visit exercise under the AEC 2025 Monitoring and & Evaluation Framework in the Philippines October 2017

-The adoption by the ASEAN Leaders of the Action Agenda on Mainstreaming Women’s Economic Empowerment in ASEAN

- The ASEAN Declaration on Innovation, which will be one of the outcome documents that will be adopted at the 31st ASEAN Summit

- ₱101 million from the US in foreign assistance for drug demand reduction programs. Also, ₱726 million in foreign assistance to rehabilitate war-torn Marawi by jumpstarting livelihood programs and providing alternatives to violent extremism.

-Bilateral defense partnership between the Philippines and Australia in response to counterterrorism in Southern Philippines.

- Signing of four deals between the Philippines and India in relation to counter-terror, defence, development and people-to-people partnership. Also, the Indo-Philippines counter-terror partnership got a boost during the countries’ bilateral talks. Also, the ‘Shri Narendra Modi Resilient Rice Field Laboratory’ in IRRI was inaugurated.

Source: Flying Ketchup

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