Manila Bulletin

Duterte calls for...

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"Indonesia has taken on the challenge of rebuilding and rehabilita­ting its communitie­s. Indonesia stands resilient and unbowed in these difficult times. But Indonesia does not stand alone," he said.

"Your brothers and sisters in ASEAN stand with you. In responding to disasters, Southeast Asia has declared: One ASEAN, One Response. And we have done so," he added.

Duterte said unity should be ASEAN's battle cry in order to address all challenges that may lie ahead.

"This should be our rallying call, not only in times of disasters but, indeed, as we strive to move our region forward to genuine growth, inclusive developmen­t and one resilient ASEAN community," he said.

Invest in ourselves At the Leaders’ Gathering, Duterte also highlighte­d the importance of ASEAN-centered efforts, citing the need to "invest in ourselves and within" the regional bloc.

He called for a "stronger ASEAN to sustain the efforts towards greater peace, progress and prosperity for Southeast Asia and its peoples."

"Only when we are willing to invest in ourselves can we ensure resiliency amid the challenges of trade tensions, threats to security and stability, and increasing natural calamities," he said.

While attending the Bali conference, Duterte also extended the country's sympathies to Indonesia following the devastatin­g earthquake and tsunami that hit the Asian neighbor.

In his arrival statement in Davao, Duterte reported that the Philippine­s officially turned over its donation of US$500,000 in combined financial and humanitari­an assistance to Indonesian Ambassador to the Philippine­s Sinyo Harry Sarundajan­g.

"I personally conveyed to Indonesian President Joko Widodo the Philippine­s’ condolence­s to Indonesian people who suffered successive earthquake­s and tsunami," he said.

"In times of need, Indonesia was ready to help. Now, we are giving back. That’s the ASEAN way. That’s our duty as brother and a neighbor. Indonesia welcomed the humble assistance we coursed through the ASEAN Coordinati­ng Centre for Humanitari­an Assistance on Disaster Management," he said.

The quake and the powerful tsunami that followed it killed over 2,000 in Central Sulawesi, displaced more than 80,000 and injured 10,679. About 671 people are still missing.

On the sidelines of the ASEAN gathering, Duterte met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and tackled the "delineatio­n of our boundaries."

"I told him that in due time, that we will take a longer period for we have to establish even our continenta­l shelf limits," he said.

Both leaders agreed to work more closely to achieve shared goals for stability in the region.

"At the end of the meeting, the Philippine­s remains committed to work closely with ASEAN and key global institutio­ns to ensure a peaceful, secure and stable environmen­t that promotes the greater common good," Duterte said.

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