PRESIDENT BENIGNO S. AQUINO III’s SPEECH
DURING A MERIENDA CENA IN HONOR OF HIS EXCELLENCY
PRIME MINISTER NAJIB RAZAK AND DATIN ROSMAH MANSOR
OF MALAYSIA
Rizal Ceremonial Hall, Malacañang
March 27, 2014
03272014B
Your Excellency Prime Minister Najib Razak and Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor;
distinguished members of the Malaysian delegation; Senate President Franklin
Drilon; Speaker of the House Feliciano Belmonte, Jr.; His Excellency Giuseppe
Pinto and the Excellencies of the Diplomatic Corps; Chairman Al Haj Murad
Ebrahim and members of the MILF Central Committee; Professor Miriam
Coronel and members of the GPH Negotiating Panel; honoured guests; ladies
and gentlemen: Good evening.
Your Excellency, the Filipino people and I are filled with sincere appreciation
for your presence here today and that of your wife Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah
Mansor—especially since we know full well that you and your government have
the heavy responsibility of attending to the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines
flight MH370. Such a tragedy understandably led to an outpouring of
emotion—of uncertainty, anxiety, and anger—and you, as head of government,
were thrusted to a position where you were asked to immediately answer
questions to which the full answers were not available.
I empathize with you fully. The sadness of this event weighs heavily on all
people of goodwill around the world, and in this spirit, the Filipino people and
myself reiterate our offer of any and all forms of assistance that we can
possibly render.
Your Excellency, it is especially during the most challenging times when
brother nations should stand in support for one another. The Philippines saw
this especially in the way that Malaysia, under your leadership, has supported
our aspiration to build a just and lasting peace. With the earlier signing of the
Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, peace is indeed within our
reach.
This evening, we are gathered in shared achievement and optimism. I believe I
speak not only for my government, but for all Filipinos in recognizing the
tremendous personal initiative, risk, and leadership displayed by Your
Excellency, which helped us to secure an inclusive and peaceful future for our
countrymen in the Bangsamoro.
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I myself wish to extend my personal gratitude to you, as it has always been
clear that you view Filipinos not as adversaries, but as brothers—as partners to
whom you have readily offered assistance. There is no doubt in my mind that
ours is a genuine brotherhood—one made more meaningful by our shared
commitment to advance peace in the Bangsamoro, a peace that opens up the
possibility for fostering greater stability, security and prosperity for our
respective peoples, and in particular for my countrymen from the Bangsamoro.
Your Excellency’s presence here marks the culmination of a significant chapter
in the peace process and consequently, in our national narrative.
In the Philippines, we have a concept called “utang na loob,” which translates
to “debt of gratitude.” Rest assured: As we move towards the realization of our
aspirations for Mindanao, we will never forget the significance of your
contributions. With this comes our pledge to build on this success—one that is
truly shared by Filipinos and all other peoples of goodwill across the world—
and our promise to continue standing by the Malaysian people and strengthen
the ties that bind our nations.
On that note, please allow me to propose a toast:
To the good health and happiness of His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of
Malaysia and Her Majesty the Raja Permaisuri Agong; and to the health,
happiness and greater success of Your Excellency the Prime Minister and
Madame Rosmah Mansor;
To the health and continued success of the Honorable Tengku Ghafar, the
Malaysian facilitator, and of the members of the peace panels;
To the ever-deepening friendship between the peoples of Malaysia and the
Philippines;
And to the rapid advancement of the peoples of Mindanao in this new era of
peace, harmony, and progress.
Mabuhay!
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