Marcos: ASEAN finding ways to 'move forward' in addressing Myanmar situation

VIENTIANE — President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. said Wednesday that the situation in Myanmar has not changed despite the Five-Point Consensus.

Marcos told the Philippine media delegation that the position of the country as regards the situation in Myanmar has remained the same. He said the ASEAN has been looking for ways to ''move forward'' to address the situation.

''We are firmly behind the ASEAN proposal of Five-Point Consensus and we are trying to find ways to move forward because we have to admit that although the Five-Point have been out there since Brunei, we have not been very successful in actually changing the situation. We are trying to formulate new strategies,'' Marcos said.

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

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.

Marcos earlier urged 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." — RSJ, GMA Integrated News