The humanitarian mission led by Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro to Myanmar shows that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is collectively working under the Five-Point Consensus (5PC), a ranking diplomat said on Thursday.

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary for Policy Leo Herrera-Lim made the statement when asked what message the ASEAN chair intends to send with Lazaro’s visit to conflict-affected areas in Myanmar.

“[It means] that we are still moving under the Five-Point Consensus because one of the elements of the 5PC is for humanitarian assistance to reach the [people]. So, it’s not Philippine priority alone; it’s ASEAN priority,” he said.

The 5PC is a peace plan adopted by ASEAN leaders in 2021, calling for the immediate cessation of violence, constructive dialogue, and a conducive environment for the delivery of humanitarian assistance in Myanmar.

Lazaro, in her capacity as the ASEAN chair’s envoy to Myanmar, led the ASEAN Monitoring Team mission on Wednesday in Taunggyi, Southern Shan State, and distributed bags of rice, family kits, and personal hygiene items to internally displaced persons in the area.

The mission also marked the month-long humanitarian operation to reach more than 11,000 households in Kayin and Northern Shan States, focusing on areas not previously reached by the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre).

The DFA earlier said ASEAN leaders will come up with a decision on the implementation of the 5PC in November, when they convene for the upcoming ASEAN Summit in Manila.

The ASEAN leaders in 2021 limited Myanmar’s participation in ASEAN meetings to non-political representatives after the military seized power in the same year. (PNA)