Philippines among countries condemning Russian attack in latest APEC declaration

BANGKOK, Thailand — The Philippines was among the countries that condemned the ongoing conflict in Ukraine during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said Saturday.

Sought for the Philippines’ position on the APEC Leaders’ Declaration, Marcos said the country’s position on the issue has been made “very clear” in the votes made within the United Nations (UN).

“We talked about self-determination and peace. We continue to believe that,” he said in a press conference with reporters.

“We continue to believe that and… for the Philippines, I kept reminding everyone that our national policy, our foreign policy rather, is based on the national interest in peace and that’s our guide and I think people understand this very well,” he added.

“War is unacceptable and we ask all parties involved. There were several speeches that I made, all of them included urging that peace be brought back to Ukraine and the confrontation be brought to diplomatic space,” he added.

The country in February voted yes to a United Nations General Assembly resolution

This comes as APEC Leaders’ Declaration indicated that there was a discussion on the ongoing conflict, and countries reiterated their positions in other fora such as the UN Security Council.

“Most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine and stressed it is causing immense human suffering and exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy — constraining growth, increasing inflation, disrupting supply chains, heightening energy and food insecurity, and elevating financial stability risks,” the declaration read.

“There were other views and different assessments of the situation and sanctions. Recognizing that APEC is not the forum to resolve security issues, we acknowledge that security issues can have significant consequences for the global economy,” it added.

Marcos said he brought up the Philippine view of having peace, as he said the tensions between the two countries impacted the globe, with inflation hitting a 14-year high of 7.7% in October. — DVM, GMA Integrated News