Amid the resurging Covid-19 cases in some parts of the world, including the Philippines, defense leaders in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have discussed ways on how to collectively bounce back from the pandemic as it becomes one of the top global security concerns, the Department of National Defense (DND) said Saturday, June 25.

DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said that eight new initiatives and documents were adopted and noted during the 16th ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on June 22. The theme for the meeting was "Solidarity for Harmonized Security."

“Notably, the ADMM issued the Phnom Penh Vision on the Role of Defense Establishments in Support of COVID-19 Recovery, which resolves to strengthen existing ADMM initiatives and mechanisms in doing its part to overcome the pandemic,” DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said in a statement.

The DND was represented by Assistant Secretary for Strategic Assessments and International Affairs (ASSAIA) Teodoro Cirilo T. Torralba III at the meeting on behalf of Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana.

The Covid-19 pandemic has been a big challenge for the DND and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) since it swept the country in 2020.

President Duterte had to rely heavily on military personnel and assets to limit the movement of people during the early days of the nationwide lockdown, deliver vaccines to various areas, and manage isolation facilities.

The defense and security sector also had to reallocate a big chunk of its budget to fund the government’s pandemic response, affecting the military's modernization program.

Many military personnel have also succumbed to the disease as they served in the frontlines of the pandemic.

Now, after months of lull, some areas in Metro Manila and in Luzon have again recorded an uptick of cases as the positivity rate breached the 5.0-percent benchmark of the World Health Organization (WHO), according to the Department of Health (DOH).

“The ADMM is the highest defense consultative and cooperative mechanism among ASEAN defense establishments. It provides a crucial opportunity for ASEAN Defense Ministers to discuss recent defense and security issues and explore areas of practical cooperation,” Andolong said.

Meanwhile, the ADMM also took note of the preparations for the ADMM Retreat and 9th ADMM-Plus, which will be held on November 21 to 23 in Sim Reap, Cambodia.

At the sidelines of the 16th ADMM, the ASEAN Defense Ministers held informal meetings with Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi and Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe, which focused on advancing and strengthening ASEAN defense cooperation with its countries.

The ADMM leaders also paid a courtesy call on Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.