The Association of Southeast Asian Nations' (ASEAN) lack of success so far to reach an accord on handling disputes in the West Philippine Sea is not deterring the Philippines from hammering out a code of conduct governing issues in the area, Malacañang said Sunday.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said Manila will continue to work with its fellow ASEAN members on the Code of Conduct and resolve some contentious issues in the process.

“The Philippines will continue to work with ASEAN member countries on the Code of Conduct. And hopefully we will be able to hammer out some of the contentious issues that were discussed in the past forum,” she said on government-run dzRB radio.

Earlier, the Philippines voiced disappointment that for the first time in 45 years, ASEAN failed to issue a joint statement on a vital issue at its annual regional conference.

But Valte said the incident will not influence the Philippines' relations with Cambodia, which chaired the ASEAN at the time and is seen as having blocked an accord. Cambodia is a close ally of China, which opposes any joint action or statement by ASEAN on West Philippine Sea disputes.

“The Philippines merely wanted the fact that discussions on Bajo de Masinloc be reflected in that communiqué,” she said.

On Friday, the ASEAN with Cambodia holding the rotating chairmanship failed to reach consensus on handling disputes in the South China Sea.

Cambodia had rejected a compromise on the wording of a joint communiqué, amid China’s assertiveness in the disputed waters.

The New York TImes quoted an unnamed diplomat from one of the ASEAN countries as saying that China "bought the chair, simple as that." The diplomat declined to be identified publicly in keeping with protocol.

But China said the foreign ministers’ talks at the ASEAN meeting had been “productive.”

In an article in China’s state news agency, Xinhua, China's country’s foreign minister, Yang Jiechi, thanked Cambodia for supporting China’s “core interests.”

China provides Cambodia with substantial military assistance.

The DFA had deplored the non-issuance of a communiqué at the 45th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, saying it was “unprecedented in ASEAN’s 45 year of existence.”

In a statement, the DFA also said the Philippines “takes strong exception” to the statement made by the Chair of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting that this will be “the first time that ASEAN is not able to issue the Joint Communiqué due to bilateral conflict between some ASEAN Member States and a neighboring country.” –KG/HS, GMA News