By PNA and U.S. News Agency / Asian

President Benigno S. Aquino III will be joining nine other leaders attending the 18th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Meetings in Jakarta, Indonesia from May 7 to 8, 2011, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced.

Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary on ASEAN Affairs Victoria Bataclan told a press briefing in Malacañang on Tuesday that the President will meet his ASEAN co-members to discuss the priority issues of ASEAN as it works towards building an ASEAN Community by 2015.

Bataclan said the President will take the opportunity to “emphasize” the priorities and initiatives to promote and develop a people-centered ASEAN through the ASEAN community’s three major pillars: political-security, economic and socio-cultural.

“During the series of meetings, the Philippines (through President Aquino) will pursue and emphasize the following priorities in efforts to build an ASEAN people-centered community: human rights; connectivity; disaster risk reduction management; promotion and protection of migrant workers; attainment of the Millennium Development Goals; biodiversity; and peace and security,” Bataclan said.

She stressed that the President will pursue the following initiatives as part of the country’s contribution to ASEAN’s community building goals: the expeditious drafting of an ASEAN Declaration on Human Rights; the effective and full implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC); the drafting of an ASEAN Convention on Trafficking in Persons (ACTIP);

The implementation of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC), especially on the conduct of the feasibility studies on the ASEAN Roll On-Roll Off (RORO) Network and Short Sea Shipping; and, the Extension of the Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline (TAGP) to BIMP-EAGA (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines-East Asia Growth Area); and, continued support for the operations of the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity located in Los Baños, Laguna.

This year’s ASEAN Summit is chaired by Indonesia, It has for its theme: “ASEAN Community in a Global Community of Nations.”