JAKARTA/MANILA – The Philippines, serving as the current chair of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said it was prepared to deepen talks with opponents of Myanmar’s ruling junta even as it remains open to the political consequences of the country’s ongoing general election. Philippine officials emphasized that openness did not amount to recognition or endorsement of the vote.
“I’m not endorsing the elections,” Ma. Theresa Lazaro, ASEAN’s special envoy on the Myanmar crisis, said in an interview with Reuters, underscoring Manila’s position. “We are open to what should come up from these events unraveling before us.”
Official results from the first two rounds of Myanmar’s three-phase election show most seats going to a party aligned with the military, ahead of the final round held Sunday. Despite low turnout and widespread violence, the junta has declared the process “a victory for the people,” arguing it would restore stability.
Elections Under Fire at Home and Abroad
Myanmar has been mired in conflict since the military seized power in 2021, toppling an elected civilian government and violently suppressing mass protests. The coup set off a civil war involving a loose alliance of ethnic armed organizations and pro-democracy forces.
Western governments, including the United States and members of the European Union, have dismissed the election as a one-sided exercise designed to perpetuate military control through civilian proxies. Domestic opposition groups, including the shadow National Unity Government, have likewise rejected the process. ASEAN, reflecting internal divisions among its 11 members, declined to send election observers.
Manila Pushes Dialogue, Aid and De-Escalation
As chair, the Philippines has sought to revive ASEAN-led diplomacy. This week, Manila hosted a “stakeholders’ meeting” in Tagaytay focused on de-escalation, humanitarian access and political dialogue under ASEAN’s 2021 peace framework, the so-called five-point consensus.
The Chin National Front, an ethnic armed group operating near Myanmar’s border with India, confirmed its participation and praised the outreach. “This was a positive meeting,” its spokesman, Salai Van, said, expressing optimism that ASEAN’s new leadership could make early progress.
Lazaro confirmed that Myanmar’s military authorities and the National Unity Government both took part. She also met earlier this month with the junta’s leader, Min Aung Hlaing, in talks Manila described as “warm and constructive.” A junta spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.
Limited Gains, Mounting Humanitarian Costs
Despite renewed engagement, ASEAN’s five-point consensus has yielded few tangible political results amid intensifying fighting, though officials cite modest improvements in humanitarian access. Lazaro has floated the idea of extending the term of ASEAN envoys beyond the current one-year rotation, arguing that continuity could strengthen diplomacy — a proposal that would require consensus within the bloc.
Myanmar, a resource-rich former British colony long dominated by the military, now faces one of Asia’s gravest humanitarian crises. The United Nations estimates that more than 3.6 million people have been displaced since the coup, with thousands killed in the fighting.
For ASEAN, the Philippines’ approach reflects a careful balancing act: engaging all sides to keep channels open, while stopping short of legitimizing an electoral process that many inside and outside the region view as deeply flawed.