Senior transport officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are now in the Philippines to discuss various transport initiatives and policies, including a proposed regional blueprint for the next decade.
The high-level meetings are part of the 42nd Senior Transport Officials Meeting (42nd STOM) and the 22nd ASEAN Transport Ministers Meeting (22nd ATM) that are being hosted by the country through the Department of Transportation (DOTr) from November 14 to November 18.
More than 200 transport officials and delegates are expected to convene for the meetings that will review various programs intended to help improve connectivity and cooperation within the region.
STOM leaders are expected to review the implementation and establishment of transport agreements as set by the ASEAN Transport Ministers (ATMs). To be discussed is the Kuala Lumpur Transport Strategic Plan (KLTSP), which is the transport vision and blueprint for 2016-2025. The KLTSP, an important pillar of the ASEAN Economic Integration, aims to make the ASEAN community more integrated, competitive, and resilient.
Other initiatives to be tackled include the establishment of the ASEAN Single Shipping Market and the ASEAN Roll-on Roll-off Shipping Network, which are both designed to facilitate trade, reduce transport costs, and provide easier access to key markets in Southeast Asia through a more connected maritime transportation network. Liberalizing air services, building safer road networks and efficient railway systems, and promoting sustainable and green transport initiatives are also part of the agenda.
The ATMs will convene from November 17 to November 18 and are expected to consider and adopt STOM recommendations. The ASEAN Road Safety Booklet will also be launched at the event’s culmination.
China, Japan, and South Korea are this year’s dialogue partners. Various ASEAN projects in cooperation with these countries will be discussed in separate sessions. Delegates from Russia will be present in preparation for the ASEAN-Russia Transport Ministers Meeting next month.
Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade is this year’s ATM chairman while Undersecretary for Administration and Finance Garry De Guzman will serve as STOM chairman.
In his opening speech, Tugade said developing the region’s transportation is “a critical component” of the region’s growth.
He noted that at this week’s meetings, “we can formulate a roadmap that will make your respective countries and my country fly in the development of transportation and traffic.”
Tugade cited the Duterte administration’s battlecry of “Build, Build, Build” in efforts to solve Philippine issues like lack of employment, high prices of goods, and traffic and transportation woes through building major infrastructures around the country.
Recently, DOTr and other agencies presented their infrastructure plans to build more railways, urban mass transport systems, airports, seaports, bridges, and roads, as well as establish new and better cities. DOTr said these will in turn further open up the Philippines to more seamless trade and connectivity with its neighboring countries.
The ASEAN is composed of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
