Philippine president calls for "greater solidarity" for pandemic responses

APD NEWS

text

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday called for "greater solidarity for collective, coordinated, and comprehensive responses" in the ongoing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, saying "inward-looking policies will lead us nowhere."

During a virtual conference held by Nikkei, a Japanese economic newspaper, Duterte said that his country supports "all avenues for increased production of COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines."

He said that collective international action can only complement national responses, which should be "people-centered and holistic."

Noting how the pandemic reinforces "deglobalization trends," Duterte reaffirmed the Philippines' support for "a free and rules-based multilateral trading system."

"The key to recovery and shared prosperity remains the free movement of goods, capital, and services, as well as the harnessing of valuable human resources. Despite the pandemic, opportunities for growth remain," Duterte added.

The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported on Friday 6,258 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 1,171,403.

The death toll climbed to 19,763 after 141 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said.

The Philippines, with a population of 110 million, has tested over 12 million people since the outbreak in January 2020.

Meanwhile, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said on Friday that the government has created a small working group to "study and formulate protocols for inbound international travel of fully vaccinated individuals."

The Department of Tourism and the Department of Foreign Affairs will co-chair the group, Roque added.

The Philippines barred the entry of foreign tourists into the country when it imposed a strict coronavirus lockdown in mid-March last year.

(XINHUA)