Roque says orderly hosting of ASEAN proves Philippine safe to visit, summit not pageantry

November 16, 2017

The orderly hosting of the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit and Related Summits proved that it is safe to visit the Philippines, Malacanang said on Thursday.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, in a press briefing, said the country's hosting of the summits was a "tremendous success."

"Of course, now that all the guests are gone, there’s a sigh of relief that there was not one untoward incident," Roque said.

"All that could have happened was one explosion, even if no one was hurt or asked to have a major disaster in our hands," he said.

"And the fact that there was no untoward incident proves that the Philippines is safe to visit. Congratulations to the rest of the Filipino people," Roque added.

The country hosted the summits on November 10-14.

Several countries have issued travel advisories against visiting some areas in the Philiippines, including Metro Manila, due to threat of terrorism.

Roque debunked criticism  by some opposition lawmakers who have said that the recent summits were just "pageantry" and no substantial issues were discussed. But Roque said the critics did not know what happened beyond closed doors.

"I can assure you that the threat of nuclear annihilation is not a matter of pageantry. The need for peace and stability on the South China Sea is not a matter of pageantry. And, of course, the issue of terrorism, the fact that terrorism today knows no territorial boundaries is no pageantry. So I beg to disagree," he said.

He said the opposition leaders who criticized the summit hosting apparently did not take time out to read the official accounts and the output of the meetings. Celerina Monte/DMS