KUALA LUMPUR – Delivering an emotional speech, President Aquino bid goodbye to his fellow leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) yesterday, saying “it’s been a learning experience.”
“If I may end on a personal note, I take this final intervention as an opportunity to thank all of you for the courtesy and camaraderie you have accorded me throughout my term,” Aquino said as he attended his last summit here.
Laos hosts the next summit in 2016 and by that time, Filipinos would have chosen a new president.
“Prior to this job, I can probably claim to be a very well-read person, although not as well-travelled as I would have liked. My presidency thrust me into this role as diplomat, and I must say that it was truly a valuable learning experience. Our interactions have led to so much growth – for me personally, and for my entire country, as we pulled together and harnessed our solidarity to uplift the lives of the Southeast Asian people,” the President said.
Aquino chose the ASEAN-United Nations Summit, the last meeting that he would have the chance to intervene, to ask for his fellow leaders’ “understanding if, in the course of building this consensus, I have caused undue strain or stress to you, my dear colleagues.”
“We Filipinos like to believe that we are a religious people. As I return to life as a private citizen, be assured that while I may not be physically present as President of my country, I will remain with you in prayer and in spirit, as a true friend constantly advocating for the success of ASEAN and of your respective nations,” Aquino said.
“As a final request, I ask that you extend to my successor the same graciousness, understanding, and friendship that I have experienced these past few years,” Aquino said.
The President, who had been fighting for the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity amid dispute in the South China Sea, explained that in all of interactions and during visits to their countries, he strived to look at issues through their perspective, which gave him better insight and understanding of what each of them could and could not do.