Senate Ratifies ASEAN Charter

MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE) The Senate ratified the Association of Southeast Asian charter Tuesday by a vote of 16 for, one against and no abstentions.

The lone negative vote was cast by Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr.

The ASEAN Charter, which needs the ratification of all 10 member-states of the regional bloc, creates a human rights body, puts down into writing the obligations of the members to uphold the United Nations Charter and international law, and sets the process for the body to take up matters of non-compliance.

Pimentel said he cast a "No" voted because of the human rights situation in military-governed Myanmar.

The charter would give legal personality to ASEAN, which groups Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, as a single intergovernmental organization.

To date, most of the countries have signed the Charter.

Earlier, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Administrative Order No. 229 to expedite the charter's ratification by the Senate in concurrence with Executive Order No. 459, series of 1997, "providing for the guidelines in the negotiation of international agreements and its ratification."

Source: Inquirer.net