“This would have been my first ASEAN engagement in my capacity as Secretary for Foreign Affairs, so it is unfortunate that my absence happens at this important time,” said Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo.
MANILA, Philippines – Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo announced on Monday, August 1, that he will be unable to attend upcoming meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations scheduled to take place this week in Cambodia, after testing positive for COVID-19.
1/5 I wish to inform everyone that I will not be participating in the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting and Related Meetings in Phnom Penh, Cambodia this week, as I tested positive for COVID-19 early this weekend.Manalo gave assurances that the Philippines would still be present in the meetings, represented by Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs Theresa Lazaro.
As current country coordinator of ASEAN-EU affairs, the Philippines has also been designated as co-chair of a conference to be held between both groups. Manalo, as secretary of foreign affairs, would have co-led the meeting and will now be represented by Lazaro. “I will concentrate on recovery so I can go back to working at DFA as soon as possible, and I look forward to the next opportunity to meet with ASEAN colleagues and our Dialogue Partners,” Manalo said. While Manalo will be unable to physically attend ASEAN meetings within the week, it is not year clear if the DFA chief will be able to meet US State Secretary Antony Blinken, who is scheduled to undertake an official visit on August 6.
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
DOH: Philippines still at 'low risk' for COVID-19 amid rise in casesThe Philippines has remained under “low risk” classification for COVID-19 despite noticeable increases in the number of new cases, the Department of Health (DOH) said Saturday.
Read more »
Mactan airport welcomes 2M passengers in 1st half of 2022CEBU CITY, Philippines - The country’s second busiest gateway continues to accommodate more passengers as leisure travel gradually regains ground two years after the COVID-19 pandemic.Latest
Read more »
‘Very high’ COVID-19 positivity rate in 5 Visayas provinces — OCTAMANILA, Philippines — “Very high” COVID-19 positivity rates were observed in five provinces in the Visayas as of July 30, OCTA Research fellow Guido David reported Monday.David said
Read more »
OCTA: 14 areas now have ‘very high’ COVID-19 positivity rates; NCR’s up 15%Fourteen areas have recorded above 20% or “very high” COVID-19 positivity rates in the recent week, while that of the National Capital Region (NCR) increased to 15%, independent monitoring group OCTA Research said.
Read more »
Former president Fidel V. Ramos succumbs to Covid-19FORMER President Fidel V. Ramos, also known as 'FVR,' died at the Makati Medical Center Sunday afternoon reportedly due to complications of Covid 19.He was 94.Ramos, the 12th...
Read more »