Marcos calls for enforcement of Five-Point Consensus to address Myanmar crisis

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. called for the speedy implementation of the Five-Point Consensus to address the peace situation and crisis in Myanmar.

Marcos made the call during his intervention speech at the 41st ASEAN Summit Retreat on Friday in Cambodia. He urged his fellow ASEAN leaders to heed the call for the welfare and protection of the people of Myanmar.

"The Philippines thus reiterates the need for the speedy implementation of the Five Point Consensus, which Myanmar agreed to in the ASEAN Leaders' Meeting held in Jakarta in April 2021," Marcos said.

"While the Philippines adheres to the ASEAN principles of non-interference and consensus, the protracted suffering of the people in Myanmar, in part due to the lack of progress in the implementation of the Five Point Consensus, also challenges the ASEAN-honored principles of democracy and the respect for and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms enshrined in the ASEAN Charter," he added.

The five-point plan has called for an immediate end to violence and dialogue between the military and the anti-coup movement in Myanmar.

A special Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held in Jakarta, Indonesia in October to discuss the issue of Myanmar. Various foreign ministers "put forth a list of recommendations to push forward the implementation of the five-point consensus."

The direct engagement with the government and all stakeholders is vital to stopping the violence and addressing the crisis in Myanmar, according to the President.

"This would include direct engagement with the military administration, but also with all other stakeholders, including the political opposition within the ASEAN framework towards the full implementation of the Five Point Consensus," Marcos said.

Marcos then encouraged other ASEAN leaders to continue taking a "constructive approach" in engaging the stakeholders in Myanmar consistent with their shared vision of the regional body, which is "people-centered and people-oriented."

Myanmar has been trapped in a cycle of violence since the army ousted Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government in February 2021, detaining her and thousands of activists and launching a bloody crackdown on protests and dissent.

A Myanmar junta court had sentenced Suu Kyi to three years in jail over electoral fraud during 2020 polls, which her party won in a landslide.

Suu Kyi was also convicted of corruption and a clutch of other charges by a closed junta court and sentenced to 17 years in prison. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News