By Katrina Gracia Consebido
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Saturday, Nov. 12, urged his fellow Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders to work closely with India on ensuring better access to health services and sufficiency of affordable medicines and vaccines.
During his intervention speech at the 19th ASEAN-India Summit, the Chief Executive said not to let the opportunity on having dialogues with India, as they are considered as the ‘pharmacy of the world’ due to their high-quality medicines and vaccines that could be a huge help in the recovery of the ASEAN countries affected by the COVID-19 virus including the Philippines.
“ASEAN friends, let us not miss the opportunity of having the ‘pharmacy of the world’ as our close neighbor and dialogue partner,” Marcos said.
“The high cost of life-saving medicines and vaccines are barriers to a healthy population,” he added.
“Let us work closely with India in ensuring that our region has access to a sufficient volume of affordable, high-quality medicines and vaccines,” he continued.
Meanwhile, the President also discussed its engagement with India on the blue economy that will help the region’s marine ecosystem to thrive.
“We cannot move towards a blue economy if our oceans cannot support sustainable vibrant life,” Marcos said.
Marcos also urged to keep their support for the work of the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity on alleviating biodiversity loss through management of ASEAN heritage parks.
