Some ASEAN leaders pushed for resumption of air travel for business, Palace says

June 26, 2020

Some Southeast Asian leaders have pushed for the reopening of the borders and resuming of international flights in the region amid the coronavirus disease pandemic, Malacañang said on Friday.

In a virtual press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, however, said the proposal is limited to business travels subject to health restrictions.

"Well, there were initial message that perhaps there is a need to open the territories within ASEAN for business travelers subject to health restrictions," said Roque, who joined President Rodrigo Duterte in the 36th ASEAN Summit hosted by Vietnam through a video conference.

He said two or three ASEAN leaders brought up the matter.

In his intervention during the Summit, Duterte underscored the need for "greater cooperation and connectivity" in order for the region to thrive under the new normal that COVID-19 imposes on all of the ASEAN countries.

"It is in this light that I welcome our Plan of Action on strengthening economic cooperation and supply chain connectivity, as well as the establishment of the ASEAN COVID-19 Response Fund," he said.

He urged for accelerated implementation of connectivity projects to build resilient and sustainable regional supply chains.

"We have to maximize trade facilitation initiatives to promote the growth and participation of MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) in regional and global value chains," Duterte said.

The President also called for a stronger implementation of the ASEAN Consensus on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers.

"For all its uniqueness, this pandemic is unlikely to be a one-off event. We must, therefore, strengthen our region’s capacity to address future infectious disease outbreaks," he said.

He urged fellow ASEAN leaders to promote research and capacity-building on health technology development.

"We must enable the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity to contribute in combating wildlife trafficking to prevent the spread of zoonotic diseases," he added. Celerina Monte/DMS