ASEAN members, who have always tried to arrive at consensus, were clearly divided over Myanmar, which was taken into the group in 1997, but has shown little progress toward democracy or human rights, despite protestations to the contrary by the ruling military junta.

President Arroyo was the only member of ASEAN at the Summit to speak out about Myanmar’s dismal record, a position she had also stated at the United Nations this fall when she said that this is the time for Myanmar to return to the path of democracy and release Aung San Suu Kyi. She warned her colleagues at the ASEAN summit in Singapore that it would be difficult to get the Charter ratified by the Philippine Congress if the Nobel Prize winning opposition leader, who has been under house arrest for 12 of the past 18 years, is not freed. She also warned Myanmar that if they ratify the charter they will be committed to speed up democratic reforms.

When the appearance of the United Nations envoy to Myanmar, Ibrahim Gambari, who had been invited by ASEAN’s host, Singapore, to brief the group on his findings, was cancelled, at the insistence of Myanmar, President Arroyo arranged to see the U.N. envoy herself, in a private session.

Despite the flap over Myanmar, achievements were made. Besides giving the group a rules-based legal identity for the first time, the charter creates permanent representation for all its members at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, and commits to summit meetings of the countries leaders twice a year, and will create a regional agency to review human rights.

ASEAN and the European Union have also agreed to negotiate for a free trade agreement. As the president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, pointed out, relations between the two have been developing over the past few years so that ASEAN is already a more important trading partner for the EU than Japan, South Korea or India. Talks on a free trade agreement with Japan were concluded, which is expected to be signed soon.

In addition to the charter, ASEAN members signed on to another document, which provides a blueprint for transforming the region into an integrated Economic Community by 2015 for internal free trade and investment. The Philippines has committed to open up 11 service sectors to its colleagues in ASEAN by 2015 including life and non-life insurance, financial data processing and software, and auxiliary financial services.

Ramon Kabigting, the Philippine trade representative who worked on the blueprint, told the press that "by 2015 we will have a zone that is a seamless production base and a single market. Once targets are achieved, goods and people will move freely across borders."