MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte is confident that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) would overcome Covid-19, just as it has overcome other challenges in the past.
Duterte made the statement as ASEAN celebrates its 54th founding anniversary.
He noted that ASEAN member states are “no strangers to difficult times”, stressing that the regional bloc’s bonds of friendship and solidarity have always carried it through.
“Notwithstanding the difficulties we face as the Covid-19 pandemic enters its second year, I am confident that ASEAN will prevail as it has done so many times in the past,” he said in an official statement on Sunday night.
He expressed his confidence that ASEAN member states would be able to overcome their existing challenges.
“ASEAN will continue to rise to present challenges and lead the region with renewed sense of purpose and an even firmer commitment to the ideals of peace, freedom, and prosperity,” he added.
He highlighted the need of teamwork in order to achieve their common goals.
“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 on our own,” he said.
Duterte also acknowledged ASEAN as the “preeminent regional organization” in Southeast Asia and “one of the world’s most successful institutions”.
“The creation of ASEAN in 1967, in a period of great power rivalry and tensions, was indeed a bold, visionary step towards enduring peace and shared prosperity for the region,” he said.
He further said that ASEAN has come a long way from its foundation in 1967.
“With more than five decades of community building, ASEAN has gone from strength to strength as the friendship and cooperation among its members deepened,” he said.
He labeled ASEAN a “indispensable institution” for promoting and maintaining peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region.
Citing its large market and dynamic workforce, he described ASEAN an “essential economic hub” that contributes to global growth and development.
ASEAN was founded on August 8, 1967 with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration, which is composed by Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
The five founding members – Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines – later referred to as the ASEAN Declaration.
