By ROY C. MABASA
The Department of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday welcomed reports that Myanmar’s military authorities had transferred Aung San Suu Kyi from prison to house arrest and reduced part of her sentence, calling the move a “vital step” toward easing tensions in the conflict-stricken country.
In a statement, the department also cited the broader amnesty granted to more than 1,500 political prisoners as a positive development tied to the observance of the Full Moon Day of Kason, a significant date in Myanmar’s Buddhist calendar.
“These developments are part of a sequence of confidence-building measures necessary for long-term national stability in Myanmar,” the DFA said.
The Philippine government, however, urged Myanmar’s authorities to take additional steps to bolster international trust, including allowing Ms. Suu Kyi to communicate with her family. Such access, the DFA said, would signal a more credible commitment to national reconciliation after years of political upheaval following the military’s 2021 takeover.
Manila also expressed support for efforts by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to engage all parties in Myanmar’s crisis. It called on Myanmar to grant the regional bloc’s special envoy limited access to Ms. Suu Kyi, in line with the envoy’s mandate to facilitate dialogue among stakeholders.
“The Philippines hopes that Myanmar will grant the request of the Special Envoy of the ASEAN Chair to have brief access,” the statement said, emphasizing that such engagement is essential to fostering inclusive national dialogue.
The DFA framed the recent actions as an opportunity for Myanmar’s leadership to demonstrate progress on the bloc’s Five-Point Consensus, a peace plan aimed at ending violence and initiating negotiations among rival factions.
While the statement stopped short of direct criticism, it underscored that further “concrete efforts” would be needed for Myanmar to regain credibility within the region and internationally.
The Philippines, a founding member of ASEAN, has repeatedly called for a peaceful, Myanmar-led resolution to the crisis, even as divisions within the bloc have complicated a unified response.
