The Philippine High-Level Representative to the High-Level Task Force on ASEAN Community’s Post-2025 Vision, His Excellency Luis T. Cruz, delivered a lecture on “Philippine ASEAN Relations” for the Master in National Security Administration for Senior Executives (MNSA SE) Class 02 on 24 March 2023 at the Honor Hall, National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP).

The lecture of Ambassador Cruz centered on how the ASEAN formed in the Southeast Asian Region. He stressed that ASEAN aimed to maintain relations with international and regional organizations with similar aims, purposes, and partnerships to accelerate economic growth, social progress, and cultural development as well as to promote regional peace and stability.

Moreover, Ambassador Cruz noted that Indo-Pacific is a perspective of viewing the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean regions not as contiguous territorial spaces but as a closely integrated and interconnected regions, with ASEAN playing a central and strategic role. He stressed that the concept of ASEAN Centrality is uniquely for Southeast Asia and should be protected when challenged, and that ASEAN should uphold its principles and ideals when conducting itself in relation to external actors and major powers.

The lecture is part of the MNSA SE Program’s Module on NSA 201 Class of the Academic Affairs Division.