BAGUIO City joins in the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in simple rites at the city’s seat of power.
City Tourism Operations Officer Jose Marie Rivera said the symbolic lighting of the Asean lantern at the City Hall will be done after the performance by the Baguio City National High School Special Program for the Arts, signaling a countdown to the lighting set at 7 p.m. Tuesday, August 8.
The lantern, which features the national leaf, anahaw, the national flower, sampaguita, and the traditional Mindanao sail boat, vinta will be hung at the city hall as a symbol of solidarity with the Asean visons.
Rivera said after the lantern lighting the façade of the City Hall will be also be lighted with the official colors of the Asean: blue, red, white and yellow representing the main colors of state crests of all the Asean Member States.
Blue represents peace and stability, red depicts courage and dynamism, white shows purity and yellow symbolizes prosperity.
Mayor Maurico Domogan will be at the Philippine International Convention Center where Asean foreign ministers and other delegates will attend the celebration with President Rodrigo Duterte in Manila, with diplomats from 27 countries gathered for the celebration "Partnering for Change, Engaging the World" to promote unity with and among Asean member states and their global partners.
The Asean was established on August 8, 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the Asean Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the Founding Fathers of Asean, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
Brunei Darussalam then joined on January 7, 1984, Vietnam on July 28, 1995, Lao PDR and Myanmar on July 23, 1997, and Cambodia on April 30, 1999, making up what is today the ten Member states of Asean. (Maria Elena Catajan)