Remarks by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at the Gala Dinner Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC)
Thank you very much to our Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro.
Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian; House Speaker Faustino Dy III; Foreign Ministers, Excellencies; Honorable Members of the Cabinet here present; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen.
Good evening.
On behalf of the 117 million Filipinos, I warmly welcome all of you to the Philippines and to Malacañan Palace.
In every Filipino home, there is a place where people come together.
In our language, we call it hapag-kainan— a word formed from “hapag, ” meaning “table,” and “kainan,” the place where people gather to share a meal.
That simple table transformed into a place of gathering—a place where families share meals, where friends reconnect, where stories are exchanged, and where strangers are welcomed as honored guests.
It is often around the hapag-kainan where partnerships are forged and communities are strengthened.
Diplomacy, too, has always found its place around tables.
Across generations, they have served as a marketplace of ideas for diplomats and policymakers.
They have borne witness to exchanges of national statements, observed how consensus is reached, and have been among the first to witness landmark documents being signed.
Upon these tables rest the agreements that shape economies, bolster relations among nations, deepen cultural understanding, and, ultimately, preserve peace.
Excellencies and Distinguished Colleagues,
Tonight, the Philippines extends its hapag-kainan to all of you.
Beyond the meal that we are about to enjoy, I hope this evening provides an opportunity to renew friendships, to forge new ones, and to celebrate the partnerships that have brought us together.
In many ways, that is also the story of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC).
The Treaty was signed around a common table, where the leaders of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand chose to sit together at a time of immense global rivalries and tensions.
That table became more than just the setting of a historic ceremony.
It became the symbol of a region choosing cooperation over confrontation.
It became the center of Southeast Asian diplomacy, where perpetual peace, everlasting amity, and cooperation were planted.
Distinguished Colleagues,Excellencies, This commemoration is also deeply personal.
Fifty (50) years ago, one of the leaders seated at that historic table in Bali was the 10th President of the Republic of the Philippines — my father, Ferdinand Edralin Marcos.
I was very young at that time. I could not have imagined what that document would one day mean for the Philippines and even for the wider world.
I could not yet understand that he and his fellow leaders were shaping a vision in which mutual respect, territorial integrity,
non-interference, the renunciation of the use of force, and effective cooperation would one day prevail.
It would take many years and the privilege to serve this country and its people in different capacities to fully understand why that moment in Bali and what it represented.
Only in time did I come to realize that the document signed that day was far more than just a treaty.
It was a statement of confidence in our region’s future, a conviction that despite our differences, Southeast Asia could build its security through mutual respect and cooperation.
Now, five decades later, that moment now carries a meaning we could barely have imagined.
My family and I have never been more privileged to welcome you to the Palace to commemorate the signing of that very Treaty.
History, indeed, has a remarkable way of bringing us back to where it all began.
Yet this evening is not merely a personal full-circle moment for me. More importantly, it is one for the entire Filipino people.
Our country has walked closely alongside the Treaty throughout its remarkable journey.
Among the founding signatories of the TAC, the Philippines was the first to ratify it on April 8, 1976, reflecting the enduring place of its principles in the moral fiber of the Filipino character.
Manila also served as the venue for the signing of the Protocol that opened the Treaty to states outside of Southeast Asia, allowing its principles to echo even further beyond the founding nations.
Today, as ASEAN Chair, the Philippines is once again honored to host another historic first— the convening of the inaugural High-Level Conference of the High Contracting Parties (HCPs).
Complementing this, the Philippines is also humbled to have shepherded the Guidelines on the Modalities for Engagement of ASEAN with HCPs under the TAC.
These Guidelines are more than a procedural document. They are another step towards translating the Treaty’s enduring principles into practical and mutually beneficial cooperation that benefits our peoples.
These milestones are not simply chapters in ASEAN’s history and, by extension, to your nation’s rich chronicles.
They reflect the Philippines’ enduring belief that peace is never achieved by chance. It is built patiently, sustained collectively, and nurtured intently.
Excellencies, Distinguished Colleagues,
As I was talking about the history of the TAC, I made it a point to go back to the original text of the Treaty.
The TAC was likewise translated into the Filipino language and the translation of one of its fundamental principles piqued my interest.
The fifth principle of effective cooperation was written as “Mabisang pagtutulungan sa isa’t isa.” Effective helping and cooperation with each other.
There is one Filipino tradition that beautifully captures this principle and that is what we refer to as “bayanihan.”
For those of you who are familiar with some Philippine arts and literature, Fernando Amorsolo, one of our National Artists for Painting, immortalized this spirit in his 1959 oil-on-canvas masterpiece depicting Filipinos working together to carry a house.
Much has been said about bayanihan as the spirit of helping one another, but what is often forgotten is what comes after the work is done.
When that house was carried to its destination, when the harvest has been gathered, when the community has accomplished its task, Filipinos return once more to the hapag-kainan.
They share a meal. They celebrate not only what they have achieved together, but the relationships that made that achievement possible.
The hapag-kainan then becomes the center for celebration.
This evening, I hope that we may do the same.
Throughout the day, you have worked together in the spirit of cooperation.
You exchanged views with candor, listened to one another with respect, and explored practical ways to strengthen the TAC in response to the challenges of our time.
Now, we gather around the hapag-kainan to celebrate not only the successful conclusion of those discussions, but also the friendships and partnerships that make such dialogue possible in the first place.
And perhaps that is one of the most endearing legacies of the TAC—its ability to convene a community of nations together.
Earlier tonight, we just unveiled a commemorative stamp marking the 50th anniversary of the Treaty.
Commemorative stamps are issued only for occasions that a nation believes deserve to be remembered.
Thus, we are honored that you stand as witnesses in the immortalization of this momentous occasion.
Excellencies and Distinguished Colleagues,
May this evening remind us that every enduring partnership begins with a conversation, every lasting friendship with mutual trust, and every meaningful cooperation with the simple willingness to sit together, listen to one another, and seek common ground.
These remain the very ideals upon which the Treaty was founded, and they remain as relevant today as they were in 1976.
Once again, welcome to the Philippines.
Welcome to Malacañang Palace.
May this evening be filled with good fellowship, meaningful conversations, and the warmth of Filipino hospitality laid down at our hapag-kainan.
Maraming salamat at mabuhay!
Thank you and good evening.
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