Speech
of
His Excellency Fidel V. Ramos
President of the Philippines
At the Official dinner for Dato Seri Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad, Prime Minister of Malaysia

[Delivered at the Ceremonial Hall, Malacañang, February 3, 1994]

Neighbors, relatives,
partners

THERE is a saying—from my part of Luzon—which sums up my feelings at seeing you again after my visit to Kuala Lumpur last year. It goes:

“Nagsayaat ti maysa nga gayyem no cabarbaro, ngem nasaysayaat manen no nabayaggen.” And it means “A friend is good when new, but better still when he becomes an old friend.”

In this spirit, Mr. Prime Minister, may I say “Mabuhay! Make our house your own.”

A defining moment in bilateral relations

This act of welcome gives us a special gratification, for we are deeply moved also by our keen awareness that this, your visit to the Philippines, is one of the defining moments in the history of the relations between our countries.

The Philippines and Malaysia are the closest of neighbors. Our peoples are inextricably bound together by culture and by blood. Countless numbers of them have for centuries freely crossed what are now our national boundaries. We share the sea that washes both our shores. We are both founding members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. We have worked together within ASEAN and on matters of great importance for our countries and for our region.

And yet it is only for the first time since the founding of Malaysia 30 years ago that we are welcoming its leader on an official visit to the Philippines. No one can deny the historic magnitude of such an event. No one can deny the significance of this moment in the history of our relations.

We cannot change history. But we, as leaders, can change its future course. We cannot change the history that tore our countries apart. But we can shape the history that is bringing us together again.

Our common vision, Mr. Prime Minister, has placed the relations between our countries on this new course—bringing us to the threshold of a new era in those relations.

We can truly say this new era began when Mrs. Ramos and I journeyed to Kuala Lumpur one year ago—at the gracious invitation of His Majesty the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia and by the will of the Government which you head.

I wish to take this opportunity to express once again our deep gratitude to His Majesty, to you, Mr. Prime Minister, and to the Government and people of Malaysia for the hospitality extended to us and our delegation during the visit.

On that historic occasion, you and I—and our two Governments—decided to set aside the things that hampered our relationship and, together, grasp and nurture the elements that would enrich that relationship and convert it into a force for the security of our countries, the prosperity of our peoples, and the peace and stability of our region.

Possibilities in our new relationship

On that occasion, we exerted our determined will to transform our relations into a new partnership—a partnership in which the relative significance of the difficulties between us could be more easily resolved.

The efficacy of this approach was demonstrated almost immediately, as the enormous possibilities inherent in our new relationship opened up before our eyes.

Waves of Malaysian businessmen came to Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao, to Subic and Davao, some putting up substantial investments in our country.

We are gratified by the inclusion of a substantial number of businessmen in your delegation, Mr. Prime Minister, being aware that much of the most substantive forms of cooperation between countries can be carried out only by the private sector. Your mission here is, not least, an occasion for our businessmen to fortify their contacts with each other and to stimulate the formation of ventures between them.

Our own business and industry sector has begun to reciprocate the initiatives of its Malaysian counterparts.

Since my visit to Malaysia, Malaysia Airlines has begun flying to Cebu, and Philippine Airlines between Zamboanga and Labuan. We have intensified exchanges among our parliamentary, cultural and information sectors.

Growth area in East ASEAN

In Kuala Lumpur, we first discussed the idea of a growth area among Mindanao, East Malaysia, and the contiguous regions of our other neighbors in ASEAN. Here in Manila earlier today, we reaffirmed our commitment to the formation of the East ASEAN growth area, which is now on the verge of realization.

In this area, the neighboring peoples of Mindanao, East Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Eastern Indonesia—encouraged by their national governments but untrammeled by them—shall continue to reach out to one another across our borders.

Their assets and strengths will begin to complement one another—directly linked by the most modern means of communication and by vastly improved air and sea transportation, goods and capital flowing freely among them.

The potential of such arrangements and activities for the rapid economic growth of the area cannot now be fully imagined. But your visit to Davao on Sunday, Mr. Prime Minister, will highlight in the most vivid way the emerging reality of the East ASEAN growth area.

The Joint Commission we agreed to establish met here in Manila two months ago and charted a wide range of areas for fruitful cooperation—in agriculture and fisheries, in science and technology, in tourism and culture, in trade and industry.

Discussions between our officials should resume as soon as possible on fisheries cooperation in the maritime area to which we have overlapping claims. This would be totally consistent with the spirit of the 1992 Manila Declaration—which calls for cooperative endeavors in the South China Sea and a peaceful approach to the disputes in the area.

Similarly, the Joint Committee on Border Cooperation established by the Joint Commission should be convened as soon as possible, so that the movement of goods and persons across our common border may be more effectively facilitated and regulated.

In sum, Mr. Prime Minister, in just one year Philippine-Malaysian relations have been fundamentally transformed.

Impetus to greater cooperation

The formation of our new partnership conforms entirely to this healthy trend in today’s world—toward overcoming disputes and conflicts and the coming-together of peoples and nations.

To be sure, the dissolution of the global divisions has tragically unleashed tribal, ethnic and religious conflicts in some places in the world, particularly in the former Yugoslavia, Somalia, Afghanistan and parts of the former Soviet Union.

But in most of the world, the new tendency is toward a recourse to compromise and consultation and a growing reliance on peaceful economic competition and cooperation for mutual benefit.

Your historic visit to the Philippines, Mr. Prime Minister, has been a fateful occasion for us to give further impetus and stronger momentum to the transformation of our relationship, an opportunity to raise the level of that relationship to a still higher plane.

We have exerted the political will and made the political decision—and it has opened incalculable opportunities for cooperation and partnership.

For it has become increasingly clear that our relationship is based not only on geography, history, and racial and ethnic kinship—although these are of fundamental importance. Our relationship is anchored also on many shared interests.

Both our nations have a clear interest in the strengthening and consolidation of ASEAN and in cooperation among its members, including the expeditious achievement of the ASEAN Free Trade Area. Both our countries wish to see solidarity develop among all ten countries of Southeast Asia—as a vital force for peace and progress in the region—and, eventually, hopefully, within the ASEAN brotherhood.

Both our countries hope the nations of our region will evolve a common vision of regional security. We, therefore, have a mutual interest in the progress and success of the regional security forums that have been established in the last few years at both the Government and non-Government levels.

Struggling against protectionism

We hope to see the countries of East Asia—as a region and bilaterally—develop specific measures to build confidence and trust in security and defense matters. We both urge that the strengthening of East Asia’s armed forces be mutually supportive and transparent. And we would like to see Southeast Asia free forever of nuclear weapons—a condition preferably enforced through a future treaty among concerned nations.

Even as we must work together to consolidate the achievements of the Uruguay Round, we have to continue our common struggle against the forces of economic protectionism that remain strong in the world.

We must do so in the cause of global trade liberalization, which is of great benefit to us both, as well as in the promotion of the product groups in which we have a common interest.

Meanwhile, both our nations share a community of interests with the developing countries on the one hand and with the countries of East Asia on the other.

We in the Philippines, therefore, maintain a keen interest in the activities of the Group of Fifteen, of which you, Mr. Prime Minister, remain a moving force. We are one with you too in seeking the early realization of the East Asian Economic Caucus, an idea of which you, too, are the source and inspiration.

In this light, for us in the Philippines, there is no more important relationship than what our relations with Malaysia can be.