Beyond the red carpet

As the Philippines welcomes ASEAN leaders, the government faces a question that deserves more than assurances about international prestige: What will hosting deliver to Filipinos struggling with everyday expenses? With economic growth slowing to 2.1 percent in the third quarter, the public is entitled to expect that diplomacy will help address the difficulties experienced outside the conference halls.

Malacañang has cited a P22.9-billion allocation for the country’s year-long ASEAN chairship, rather than this November gathering alone, and clarified that the amount has not necessarily been fully spent. The detractors are making a killing on social media with this exorbitant figure, and calling the expenditure an investment requires our government to explain the returns it expects and how these will reach the people.

Hosting ASEAN has legitimate value because food supplies, energy security, trade and employment increasingly depend on cooperation beyond our borders. The Department of Foreign Affairs has identified food and energy security, migrant-worker protection and action against online scams among the summit’s priorities. These concerns belong in regional discussions precisely because their consequences reach Filipino homes.

For the poorest families, however, diplomacy must eventually reach the dinner table through more dependable food supplies, affordable necessities and opportunities to earn. Regional cooperation should help countries prepare for shortages, improve trade arrangements and strengthen energy security, while Philippine agencies address the domestic bottlenecks that keep goods expensive.

For businessmen, the summit offers opportunities to establish partnerships, reach wider markets and attract investments. Those opportunities should also extend to small enterprises that need assistance meeting export requirements and supplying larger companies.

Government must therefore account for both the cost of hosting and the work that follows. Actual expenditures, procurement contracts and improvements retained for public use should be disclosed, while major commitments should have responsible agencies, implementation schedules and progress reports.

The economic slowdown makes effective diplomacy more necessary, while making wasteful spending harder to justify. We should welcome our guests with dignity and use the occasion to advance practical solutions, without treating a successful ceremony as sufficient proof of a successful chairship.

All this is crucial since each centavo spent will soon be questioned by those with political intentions. It is important for the government to explain well how the hosting will trickle down to the dinner tables of every Juan dela Cruz. It may not be enough to just see the smiles on the world leaders’ faces.

The red carpet will be rolled away, but the obligation to the Filipino people will remain. If the government follows through with discipline and transparency, this gathering can help create opportunities that reach both struggling households and established businesses. Its lasting success should be measured by stronger livelihoods and more secure families, whose daily lives improve long after the delegates have departed.

For comments, email him at darren.dejesus@gmail.com.