Vietnam PM praises Philippines’ ‘strong measures’ vs COVID-19

Vietnam has praised the Philippines’ handling of the COVID-19 outbreak as the two countries pushed for bilateral and regional cooperation to address the global health crisis.

Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc gave this assessment during his telephone conversation with President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday night, according to the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) on Wednesday.

“We appreciate the strong measures of the Philippines in fighting COVID-19, including preventing community transmission, implementing community quarantine measures and providing social protection to the Filipino people,” Phuc was quoted as saying by the PCOO.

Duterte also lauded Vietnam for its effective response to COVID-19 and said that the two countries can share best practices. Vietnam, which implemented strict quarantine rules and early border restrictions, has so far reported 327 cases and no deaths.

By comparison, the Philippines, which also carried out confinement measures, recorded 15,049 cases with 904 deaths as of Wednesday.

Duterte and Phuc also underscored the importance of maintaining adequate supply of staple food and critical medical equipment and supplies during the health crisis.

The President also pushed for the establishment of the ASEAN Response Fund, which was backed by Southeast Asian leaders during their virtual summit last month. —LDF, GMA News