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l
ippi
neNewsAgencyLogo

BBMr
ecogni
zesChi
na'
svi
t
alr
olet
ohel
pPHbeatCov
id-
19

ByRut
hAbbeyGi
t
a-Car
losandJoy
ceAnnL.
Rocamor
a

June10,
2022,
7:20pm

Updat
edonJune10,
2022,
9:09pm

Shar
e

FI
RSTDELI VERY.
ThePhili
ppi
nes’f i
rstCov
id-19vacci
nesare600,
000dosesofSinovacdonat
ed
byChinaonFeb.28,2021.Thefol
lowingday ,
thecountr
ybeganit
snati
onwi
deinoculat
i
on
pr
ogram,ini
ti
al
lyv
accinat
i
ngf r
ont-
linemedicalworker
s.(PNAfi
l
ephotobyAvi
toDalan)

MANI LA– ThePhil

i
ppines
'conti
nuedpart
ner
shipwi
t
hChinawil
lhelpthecountr
ys ucceedi
nthe
fi
ghtagai
nstthepr
evai
li
ngcoronavi
rusdi
seas
e2019(Cov
id-19)pandemic,Pres
ident-el
ect
Ferdi
nand"Bongbong"MarcosJr.s
aidFr
iday.

Dur
ingthef
ormalceremonyf ort
hesecondbatchofl
aur
eatesoftheAwar
dforPromot
ing
Phi
l
ippi
nes-
ChinaUnderstandingatDusi
tThaniMani
l
ainMakatiCit
y,Mar
cosacknowl
edged
Chi
naasthePhil
i
ppines'
"s t
rongest
"part
neranda"goodfr
iend"
.

Marcosemphasi
zedtheneedt
omaint
ainthePhil
i
ppi
nes
'goodr
elat
i
onswi
t
hit
sal
l
iest
oens
uret
he
count
ry'
ssol
i
drecoveryf
rompandemi
cs hock.

"Cert
ainl
yinthePhili
ppines,wecanonlydoitwi
thourpar
tner
sandourstr
ongestpar
tnerhas
alwaysbeen, i
nthatregard,ourcl
osenei
ghborandourgoodfr
iend,
thePeopl
e'
sRepublicof
China,
"Mar cossaidinhisspeech.
Mar
coss
aidi
ti
simpos
sibl
eforacount
ryt
o"makei
t
sownway
"tobeatCov
id-
19.

Heexpres
sedconf
idencet
hatt
hecooper
ati
onbet
weent
hePhi
l
ippi
nesandi
t
sal
l
ieswoul
dgi
vet
he
count
rya“bri
ghtf
uture”.

"
Itr
ulybel
iev
et hati
tist
hepart
nershi
psandal
l
iancesthatweasacountr
ywil
lmakewi t
hour
f
ri
endsandalli
esandpar t
ner
saroundthewor
ldthatwil
lkeept
hest
abil
i
tyofoureconomic
r
ecovery,
"Marcoss ai
d.

Hes ai
dthesyner
gyt hatwil
lcomefromthecooper
ati
oni
swhatwi l
lbri
ngt
hecountr
yforwardt
oa
br
ightfut
ureandtothedaywhenFi li
pi
noscanconfi
dent
l
ys ay“bey ondt
hepandemiccri
si
s,we
ar
ebey ondtheeconomi ccr
isi
sbrought[
about
]bythepandemic”.

Marcossai
dheisopt
i
mi s
ticthatt
hePhi
li
ppi
nesandChi
na’srel
ati
onswoul
dcont
inuetoi
mpr
ove
underhi
swatch,
asheintendstograbt
heoppor
tuni
t
yto“growcloser
” wi
thBei
j
ing.

“So, howdoI seethef ut

urebet
weenChi naandthePhi
li
ppi
nes?Iseethefutur
eofChi
naandt
he
Phil
i
ppinesdevelopi
nginmanyway st
hatmay bewedonots eenow.Iwil
lencour
ageour
rel
ati
onshi
ptonotonl ybeintheveryst
ri
ctandfor
malsensesofbusi
ness,orgover
nmentt
o
government,
orpublic-pri
vat
epartner
shi
ps ,
” hesai
d.

Heal
soex
press
edconf
idencethatt
hecount
rywoul
dsucceedi
nit
sfi
ghtagai
nstCov
id-
19,
giv
en
t
heest
abl
i
shed“cl
oseglobalcooper
ati
on”.

OnMonday,Mar
cosmetwithhi
seconomict
eamtotackl
ehi
sadmini
st
rat
i
on’spr
ior
it
iest
oens
ure
t
hecount
ry’seconomi
crecover
yfr
omt heCov
id-
19pandemic.

I
ndependentf
orei
gnpol
i
cy
Meanti
me,hevowedt
ocont
i
nuet
hei
ndependentf
orei
gnpol
i
cyofhi
spr
edeces
sor
,Pr
esi
dent
Rodr
igoDuter
te

“Perhaps,wewil
lcont
i
nuewhatPresi
dentDut
ert
estar
tedwhi
chhasbeendescr
ibedasan
i
ndependentf
orei
gnpoli
cy.
Andthi
siswhatwefeeli
sbestf
ort
henati
onal
int
eres
t,” hes
aid.

Duter
te’si
ndependentf
orei
gnpol
i
cy,
asex
plai
nedbyt
opof
fi
ci
al
s,means“bei
ngf
ri
endt
oal
l
andenemytonone”.

Themai
ncons
ider
ati
onofDut
ert
e’spol
i
cyi
sthei
nter
est
sandwel
far
eofFi
l
ipi
nos
.

Mar
cosagr
eedt
hatDut
ert
e’si
ndependentf
orei
gnpol
i
cywi
l
lbenef
itt
hePhi
l
ippi
nesandi
t
sal
l
ies
.

“I t
hinkiti
stobeadv antageousnotonl
ytoourfr
iendsi
nChi
na,
butt
oal
l ourfr
iendsar
oundt
he
worl
d. Sowiththati
nmi nd,Iencour
ageyoual
ltoconti
nuet
heworkt
ost
rengthenthese
r
elat
ionships,
” hes ai
d.

Awar
dees

TheAssociati
onforPhil
i
ppi
nes-ChinaUnders
tandi
ng(APCU)ist
hepioneerandt
heleadi
ngnon-
gover
nmentor gani
zati
oninthePhil
ippi
nespr
omoti
ngpeople-
to-peopl
edipl
omacy,
bilat
eral
under
standing,andfr
iends
hipbetweenthePhil
i
ppi
nesandChina.

Theawardsext
endr ecognit
i
on,acknowledgment,andappr
eci
ati
ontoindi
vidual
swhomadea
markandcontr
ibutedmucht ot
hei mprovementandadvancementofPhil
i
ppines-Chi
nabi
l
ater
al
rel
ati
ons
,under
s t
anding,andfr
iendshi
p.

AnyFi
l
ipi
nonat
i
onal
inanyf
iel
dofwor
kors
tudyi
squal
i
fi
ed.
Thelat
ePhil
ippineAmbassadortoChi
na,Jos
eSanti
agoSt
a.Romana,f
ormerPr
esi
dentJoseph
Est
rada,andnineother
swererecogni
zedthi
syearf
or"
fos
ter
ingandpr
omoti
ngunders
tanding"
bet
weent hePhili
ppi
nesandChina.

Sta.Romanawasgiv
enthepos t
humouss
peci
alawar
d“GawadSul
t
anPadukaPahal
a”,
acceptedbyhi
sson,Chr
is
topher.

"Ourfami
lyisdeepl
ytouchedandhonoredbytheges
tur
eofthegr
ant
ingofthi
sspeci
alaward,
the
GawadSul t
anPadukaPahala,bythi
saward-
givi
ngbody,
"hesai
dinaspeech,asherecal
l
edthe
l
astint
erv
iewofhisfat
herinApri
l2022.

"Thi
swashi sans wertotheintervi
ewques ti
onwhatwashemos tproudofandhowwoul dhel ike
tober emembered: Lookingback ,itwasararepri
vi
leget oserveast hePhil
ippinesAmbas sadorto
Chinaandcont r
ibutetothet ur
naroundands igni
fi
cantimprovementi nourbi l
ateralr
elat
ions.There
havebeennumer ousmi l
es t
onesandachi evementsdur i
ngthecour seofmydi plomat i
c
assignmentbutifthere'
sonet hingI amproudofiti
st hi
s:toplaythef r
ontl
i
ner oleinbuil
dinga
bri
dgeoff ri
endshipandcooper ationbetweentheFili
pinoandChi nes epeoplethattr
ans cendsany
dif
ferencesandcont r
ibut
et oregionalst
abil
it
yandpr osperi
ty.
Foraf teral
l,whatisdiplomacyf orif
nottos er
vepeopleandpr omotethecount r
y'si
nter
es t
s?"

Thel
ateenv
oypas
sedawaywhi
l
einquar
ant
i
nei
nChi
naonApr
il
18.

The10APCUl
aur
eat
esf
or2022ar
e:

-Es
trada

-Fr
anci
scoBenedi
cto,
for
merPhi
l
ippi
neAmbas
sadort
oChi
na

-Wi
l
sonLeeFl
ores
,Kamuni
ngBaker
yCaf
éfounder

-Rodri
goKapunan,
Mani
l
aSt
andar
dcol
umni
standChi
naDai
l
yGl
obal
Edi
t
ionandGl
obal
Times
cont
ri
butor

-Maur
oGi
aSamont
e,Mani
l
aTi
mescol
umni
standbookaut
hor

-Pri
ncessJacelKir
amoft heSult
anat
eofSulu,Phi
l
sil
at(PencakSi
lat
)Spor
tsAs
soci
ati
onand
I
nter
nati
onalCenterforPeace,
Reconci
li
ati
onandDev el
opmentpresi
dent
-Paul
Gut
i
err
ez,
Nat
i
onal
Pres
sCl
ubs
ecr
etar
yandpubl
i
sher

-Prof
.Cavi
nFr
ancoPami
ntuan,
Phi
l
ippi
neDi
rect
orofConf
uci
usI
nst
i
tut
eatAngel
esUni
ver
sit
y
Foundat
i
on

-Pr
of.
Cel
soCai
ngl
et,
seni
orl
ect
ureratt
heUni
ver
sit
yoft
hePhi
l
ippi
nesVi
say
as

-Apr
il
Mar
ieDay
ap,
chi
efofDav
aoCi
t
yInv
est
mentandPr
omot
i
onCent
er

I
nas peech,ChineseAmbas
s adorHuangXi
l
iancongr
atul
atedt
heawar
deesandnot
edt
heneedt
o
deepenfr
iendshipbet
weenthecountr
ies
.

"Theev er
last
ingfri
endshi
pbetweentheChi neseandPhi l
i
ppinepeoplei
saninexhausti
bledri
vi
ng
forcefort
hel ong-t
ermdevelopmentofourbi l
ater
alrel
ati
ons
,"hes ai
d."
Letuscommi ttoget
herto
steeri
ngourr el
ati
onshi
pintheri
ghtdi
rect
ion, deepenourmut ual
l
ybenefi
ci
alcooperat
ion,andan
ev enbri
ghterfut
ureforChi
na-Phi
li
ppi
nesr elati
ons.
"(PNA)