Asean must come together to defend seas, int’l order — Romualdez
House Speaker Martin Romualdez in a file photo. Photo by Yummie Dingding/ PPA pool.
MANILA, Philippines — Member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) should come together to defend their seas while ensuring a rules-based international order, House of Representatives Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said on Monday.
In his speech before Asean lawmakers and heads of countries at the 4th ASEAN Leaders Interface with Representatives of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) held at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Romualdez said that legislative bodies can contribute to securing peace and sovereignty for each member-state.
This, Romualdez said, can be done by using the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) as a reference point.
READ: Marcos calls for legally binding South China Sea Code of Conduct
“We must move as one — translating ASEAN’s collective aspirations into concrete policies that empower our workers, farmers, and fisherfolks, protect our seas, connect our digital economies, and defend the rules-based international order,” Romualdez said.
“This includes upholding the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS, which guarantees peace, security, and sovereignty for all,” he added.
According to Romualdez, lawmakers can ensure that the Asean region remains peaceful by taking a stand against threats to maritime integrity through peaceful channels — something that, the Speaker said, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration had done.
`Bridge-builders’
“As parliamentarians, we are not just lawmakers; we are bridge-builders across nations, generations, and ideologies. And it is our duty to ensure that this region remains a bastion of peace, prosperity, and shared progress,” he said.
“As Speaker of the House, I have made it my mission to ensure that our legislation is not just responsive — but visionary. Not just reactive — but catalytic,” he said. “We believe the role of AIPA is not only to support ASEAN’s vision — but to shape it — boldly and bravely.”
Romualdez, Marcos, and other leaders of Southeast Asian nations are in Malaysia for the 46th Asean summit, where several issues are expected to be discussed. Marcos himself called on other countries to hasten the adoption of a legally binding code of conduct to prevent a major conflict in the disputed South China Sea.
The West Philippine Sea (WPS), a body of water that forms part of the South China Sea, is inside the western side of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. China however has insisted ownership on many islands inside the WPS, despite the Permanent Court of Arbitration award in 2016 which stated that the Philippines has exclusive rights over its waters.
According to Marcos, the code of conduct will “safeguard maritime rights, promote stability, and prevent miscalculations at sea.”
Romualdez said the meetings are also in preparation for the Philippines’ AIPA Presidency in 2026.
“I commit to a leadership that is principled, progressive, and deeply collaborative,” Romualdez said. “We will work closely with Malaysia and all AIPA members to ensure a smooth transition and a legacy of momentum, not inertia.”
“Our region cannot afford to be passive in a world that is increasingly polarized. The true measure of leadership is not what we preserve — but what we build,” he added. “Together, let us build a region that is not only prepared for the future — but determined to shape it.”/mr
