(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte expressed confidence the Association of Southeast Asian Nations would prevail and continue to rise to present challenges as the COVID-19 pandemic enters its second year.
President Duterte made the statement on the 54th anniversary of the regional bloc composed of the Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
“We in ASEAN are no stranger to difficult times that test our capacity to act together and surmount challenges. But our enduring bonds of amity and solidarity have always pulled us through,” President Duterte said.
ASEAN, President Duterte said, is “without a doubt an indispensable institution” for the promotion and preservation of peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region.
With its “considerable market and dynamic workforce,” the President said ASEAN is also an “important economic hub contributing to global growth and development.”
“As we celebrate our collective achievements and reflect on how far we have come as one community, may we always remember and value how much stronger we are together than our own,” the President said.
“Mabuhay ang ASEAN!” he said.
