Due to the surging COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) cases at home, President Duterte has decided to stay and is instead sending Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin, Jr. as his Special Envoy to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Leaders' Meeting on Saturday, April 24, 2021, in Jakarta, Indonesia.
(File photo via PNA)
In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Locsin will convey the President’s message on the country’s commitment to ASEAN's collective efforts in addressing threats and challenges to peace and stability in the region.
The ASEAN leaders meeting comes amid China’s continuous aggressive activities in the West Philippine Sea, most particularly its deployment of over 240 vessels in Julian Felipe Reef (Whitsun) and other reefs and islands well within the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Locsin is also expected to deliver the Philippines' strong support to the initiative of Brunei Darussalam and the Secretary-General of ASEAN to visit Myanmar and spearhead the regional block’s response to the crisis in Myanmar.
Aside from the urgent concerns such as the threats in regional security and the Myanmar issues, the special Leaders' meeting will also address COVID-19 recovery efforts, ASEAN community-building efforts, external relations, and regional and international issues.
According to the DFA, President Duterte has decided to remain in the country to attend to pressing domestic concerns in light of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases.
As of April 22, 2021, the Philippines registered a total of 962,307 confirmed cases, 16,265 deaths, and 829,608 recoveries, according to the online COVID-19 monitoring platform, Worldometers.