THE tough stance of President Rodrigo Duterte turned subtle as he acknowledged South Korea’s help to the country’s COVID-19 response.
In his farewell bid to outgoing South Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Han Dong-man on Thursday, Duterte cited what he aptly referred to as “timely emergency and humanitarian assistance” such as the donation of face masks and other personal protective equipment, medicines, test kits and rice.
A part of the Palace statement reads: “The President also acknowledged ROK’s [Republic of Korea] assistance in the repatriation of 2,137 Filipinos from Korea.”
But unlike the Philippines, South Korea has kept COVID-19 infections relatively low compared to other countries through aggressive testing and contact tracing as well as mandatory quarantine for all inbound travelers – steps taken long after the onset of the deadly virus from Wuhan, China.
Both the Philippines and South Korea imposed restrictions on social gatherings and curfews to limit the spread of the virus.
Aside from the assistance extended during the onslaught of the global pandemic, Duterte also thanked South Korea for its support for the Philippines’ development priorities and infrastructure drive and highlighted broader cooperation between the two countries on defense, security, and maritime domain awareness.
In an apparent display of gratitude, the President conferred the Order of Sikatuna on Han for his “excellent diplomatic work.” Han began his tour of duty in the Philippines in January 2018.
Han, meanwhile, thanked Duterte for his commitment to elevate the bilateral ties between the Philippines and South Korea which the President described as “at its highest levels so far.”
“Ambassador Han reiterated the importance and value of Philippines-Republic of Korea relations and reaffirmed the ROK’s commitment to continue working with the Philippines to further strengthen cooperation across all areas of mutual concern,” the Palace said.
“Ambassador Han also expressed gratitude to the Filipino nation for its many contributions to peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula saying that the Republic of Korea would not enjoy peace and stability if not for the many sacrifices of friendly nations, including the Philippines,” it added.
Since assuming the presidency in 2016, Duterte has visited South Korea twice – the first in June 2018 which resulted in the signing of agreements on agriculture, energy, trade, transportation, and science and technology between the two countries.
The second time he set foot in South Korea was when he then took part in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit in Busan in November 2019.
The Philippines and South Korea established diplomatic relations in 1949.
South Korea was the Philippines’ fifth largest trading partner and fourth largest source of official development assistance in 2019, the government said.