In has been 50 years since the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was formally established by the foreign ministers of five countries, namely Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines.

For its golden year anniversary celebration, hundreds of participants from various government agencies, the academe, local and international press, and members of the public joined the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the ASEAN, dubbed as “Under One Light, We Are One ASEAN” at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Complex, Pasay City.

To start the celebration, various schools from Metro Manila joined the ASEAN Grand Parade which presented the ten ASEAN member states and various festivals in the Philippines such as the Higantes Festival from Angono, Rizal and the Sinulog Festival of Cebu.

After the parade, poems, dances and songs from various performers and ASEAN pop artists, featuring the Philippines’ very own romantic balladeer Christian Bautista, echoed throughout the CCP Complex to show the diverse culture and history of the ASEAN region.

To cap off the event, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary Ma. Helen De La Vega and National Artist for Literature and National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA) chair Mr. Virgilio Almario led the ceremonial landmark lighting of the ASEAN Lantern which was also simultaneously done in different key cities in the Philippines and in the capital cities of ASEAN member states.

DSWD Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo, who chairs the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) this year, expressed her solidarity with all those involved in marking the momentous occasion.

She said, “As we celebrate 50 golden years of ASEAN, we would like to articulate our best wishes to all the ASEAN member states for their continuing efforts to pursue peace, prosperity, and inclusive development in the region.”

“This event  is an opportunity to put the spotlight on the successful camaraderie and unity among the ASEAN’s member states, not only during  times of humanitarian and disaster crises, but also during the daily efforts to address the roots of poverty in the region, to empower the marginalized sectors such as persons with disability (PWDs), children and youth, and women, and to serve our people better,” she added.

“The event also provides an opportunity to reflect on what must be done to further improve efforts in the region to create a more people-centered and people-oriented ASEAN. This means that we must continue to dedicate ourselves to serving our people, to be fully accountable and responsive to their needs,” she further said.

“We hope that the next chapter of ASEAN will focus not only on improving the economic condition of our member states, but also to provide more platforms to reduce inequality and to provide a safer environment and society for our children, our children’s children, and for the next generation,” she ended.#