Duterte Calls For Closer Asean Solidarity, Cooperation To Combat Covid-19

As the world faces an “unfolding catastrophe” brought about by the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), President Duterte has called for a closer solidarity and cooperation among Southeast Asian nations, from improving healthcare capacity to ensuring food security, to combat the pandemic and mitigate its impact on the people.

- Genalyn D. Kabiling

The President said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) must collaborate and coordinate within our region and beyond” on four areas to effectively overcome the coronavirus pandemic.

These areas are the production of medical supplies and medicines, ensuring sufficient rice and other food supply, support for vaccine research and development, and establishment of early warning system for pandemics in the region.

We are in the middle of an unfolding catastrophe – unprecedented in scale and devastating in impact for all. We face a new and different kind of enemy. In the most visceral way, COVID-19 is upending the totality of our way of life. And this virus threatens to exact the highest tolls - on our peoples and our economies,” Duterte said during the virtual special ASEAN summit on COVID-19 Tuesday.

Hanoi is chairing the ASEAN meeting on COVID-19, with the country touting its success so far in containing the virus with extensive quarantines and social distancing.

In opening remarks via videoconference, Vietnam's premier Nguyen Xuan Phuc hailed the work of ASEAN in fighting the virus so far.

But he warned COVID-19 has badly impacted people's lives, their socio-economic situation... challenging stability and social security.