Duterte on ASEAN anniversary: Value how much stronger we are together than on our own

President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday said he is confident that member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will prevail as the COVID-19 pandemic enters its second year.

"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," Duterte said in his message for the 54th founding anniversary of the ASEAN.

The president also urged member-states to "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," he said.

Further, he said ASEAN is "without a doubt an indispensable institution for the promotion and preservation of peace and security" in the Asia-Pacific region.

He added that the ASEAN, with its considerable market and dynamic workforce, is "an important economic hub contributing to global growth and development."

"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," Duterte said.

Founded in 1967, the ASEAN counts as members the Philippines, Cambodia, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. — Ma. Angelica Garcia/BM, GMA News