MANILA (Bernama-PNA): Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma Theresa Lazaro is leading the Asean humanitarian mission to Myanmar to help expand access to areas needing assistance, the Philippine News Agency (PNA) reported, citing the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Wednesday.
DFA spokesperson for Asean Affairs Dax Imperial said Lazaro will visit Shan State and hold meetings in Nay Pyi Taw from Oct 28 to 29 as the bloc seeks to advance humanitarian efforts in the conflict-hit country.
Imperial said there were no details on a possible meeting between Lazaro and detained Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
"No details on such a meeting. For now, what we have is the humanitarian mission in Shan State and engagements in Nay Pyi Taw,” Imperial said.
The mission comes as Asean presses for progress on its 2021 Five-Point Consensus, which calls for an end to violence, inclusive national dialogue and the delivery of humanitarian assistance without discrimination.
Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow expressed hope that Lazaro would make progress that she could report to Asean foreign ministers ahead of the bloc’s upcoming leaders’ summit in Manila.
"She is going there as the Asean special envoy, and we hope that there'll be good progress and some progress for her to report on when the ASEAN foreign ministers meet in Manila prior to the Asean Summit,” Sihasak was quoted by Channel News Asia.
The mission is in partnership with the Asean Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) based in Jakarta and is joined by representatives from ASEAN Missions and Japan based in Yangon.
The delegation will visit designated sites in Taunggyi, Southern Shan State on Oct. 28, kicking off the month-long distribution of humanitarian support to communities in Kayin State, Southern Shan State, and Northern Shan State.
The AHA Centre and its implementing partner, the Myanmar Red Cross Society, will continue the delivery of food and essential non-food items to affected communities through November 2026.
Overall, the operation is expected to reach more than 11,000 households through the distribution of 50-kilogram bags of rice, family kits, and personal hygiene kits.
This mission marks AHA Centre's first delivery of humanitarian assistance in Northern Shan State, focusing on areas it has not previously reached.
On top of the humanitarian visit, Lazaro will lead the symbolic handover of a religious building, as well as the distribution of school kits to prefabricated school buildings built through contributions from the Philippines following an earthquake that severely affected central Myanmar in 2025.
"As Asean Chair, the Philippines has placed humanitarian assistance among its priorities in Myanmar. This humanitarian mission forms part of Secretary Lazaro's regional engagements that bring together several Myanmar stakeholders, including Myanmar authorities, representatives of Asean Member States and Dialogue Partners, and humanitarian actors in Myanmar,” said the Department of Foreign Affairs. -- BERNAMA-PNA
