On 3 November 2008, the Philippines deposited its instrument of ratification of the ASEAN Charter with the Secretary-General of ASEAN. A ceremony took place today at the Office of the Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations in New York, where the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, Alberto Romulo, symbolically handed over the instrument of ratification to the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr Surin Pitsuwan.

Dr Surin said, “We are now slightly more than a month away to the 14th ASEAN Summit which is taking place in mid December in Chiang Mai. I hope Philippines’ deposit of its instrument of ratification will spur the other two countries – Indonesia and Thailand – into action as we are sprint into the last leg of the race towards celebrating the entry into force of the ASEAN Charter.”

Philippines became the eighth ASEAN Member State to deposit its instrument of ratification of the ASEAN Charter with the Secretary-General of ASEAN. The ratification of the ASEAN Charter was approved by the Philippine Senate on 7 October 2008.

The ASEAN Member States that have deposited the instrument of ratification of the ASEAN Charter are (in chronological order) Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Lao PDR, Viet Nam, Cambodia and Myanmar.

The ASEAN Charter shall enter into force on the thirtieth day following the date of deposit of the tenth instrument of ratification with the Secretary-General of ASEAN.