The Office of the Philippine President on Monday said it hopes for the Philippines to ratify soon the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) charter like what Myanmar did, but stressed it won't rush the Senate into doing it.

Press Secretary Jesus Dureza, in a press briefing after the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC)-12 meeting held at Kalsangi Clubhouse of Dole Philippines, said the work on the ratification on the ASEAN Charter is in progress.

"Nasa Senate na 'yan. We hope we can also get the ratification. It's the Senate (who will do the official action)," he said.

"Let the Senate do its mandate. It's the Senate who will determine its pace," he added.

Dureza said the Senate is entitled to its own pacing as it's an independent institution "and they have the competence to do so."

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo earlier created an inter-agency task force to work on the Senate the ratification of the regional bloc's charter.

The ASEAN charter gives legal personality to the 10-nation bloc of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, as a single inter-governmental organization.The President signed Administrative Order No. 229 last June 18, to expedite the ratification of the Charter 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."

The Charter task force is tasked to coordinate with other agencies of government in securing the information required for Senate concurrence on the ratification of the ASEAN charter; organize the resource documents pertinent to the Senate hearings on the ASEAN charter; attend the hearings on the ASEAN charter in the Philippine Senate; and perform such other functions as may be directed by the President, among others.

Military-ruled Myanmar on Monday formally ratified the ASEAN Charter, which commits Southeast Asian nations to notions of democracy and human rights.

This leaves Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines the remaining members of the 10-nation bloc which have yet to ratify the Charter. # # #

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