PDu30, kumpiyansa na maipapanalo ng ASEAN ang laban nito sa Covid- 19

KUMPIYANSA si Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte na maipapanalo ng Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) ang laban nito sa Covid-19 sa kabila ng mga hamon na kinahaharap nito.

Sa 54th founding anniversary na ginunita ng ASEAN, sinabi ng Pangulo na hindi na estranghero sa mga ASEAN member states ang hirap ng panahon at pagkakataon dahil mahigpit ang kanilang pagkakaisa.

“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,” ayon sa Pangulo.

Wala aniya siyang pagdududa na malalampasan ng mga ASEAN member states ang problema na kinahaharap nito ngayon.

“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,” dagdag na pahayag ng Punong Ehekutibo.

Binigyang diin nito ang kahalagahan ng “working hand in hand” upang makamit ang kanilang iisang layunin.

“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,” ani Pangulong Duterte.

Kinilala naman ng Punong Ehekutibo ang ASEAN bilang Southeast Asia’s “preeminent regional organization” at “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,” anito.

Aniya pa, malayo na ang tinahak ng ASEAN simula nang likhain ito noong 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,” ayon sa Chief Executive.

Inilarawan naman niya ang ASEAN bilang isang “indispensable institution” parasa “promotion and preservation” ng kapayapaan at seguridad sa Asia-Pacific region.

Tinukoy nito ang “considerable market and dynamic workforce, ang ASEAN ay isa ring “important economic hub” na nag-aambag sa global growth at development.

Samantala, kinabibilangan ng mga bansang Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, at ng Pilipinas, ang ASEAN ay itinatag noong Agosto 8, 1967 na may Bangkok Declaration na tinintahan.

Ito’y tumutukoy bilang ASEAN Declaration sa pamamagitan ng limang founding members gaya ng Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, at Pilipinas. (Daris Jose)