COVID-19 sidelines Manalo from Phnom Penh ASEAN meet
MANILA, Philippines — Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said he tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend and, therefore, will not be able to attend the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM) and related meetings this week.
The AMM will be held until August 6 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It would have been Manalo’s first ASEAN engagement since taking the post as the country’s top diplomat.
"I have also sent regrets to Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister and this year’s AMM Chair, His Excellency, Prak Sokhonn,” Manalo said.
He added that he will focus first on recovering from the virus. Acting Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs Ma. Theresa Lazaro will be attending the AMM to represent the Philippines instead.
The AMM is an avenue for member countries and their allies to pursue talks on political-security cooperation as well as other community-building efforts.
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“I look forward to the next opportunity to meet with ASEAN colleagues and our Dialogue Partners,” Manalo said.
1/5 I wish to inform everyone that I will not be participating in the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM) and Related Meetings in Phnom Penh, Cambodia this week, as I tested positive for COVID-19 early this weekend.
— Enrique A. Manalo ???????? (@SecManalo) August 1, 2022
Ambassador Ma. Teresita Daza, DFA spokesperson, told reporters that Manalo tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday and is expected to take another RT-PCR test sometime this week.
She added that preparations for US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to the Philippines this weekend are still ongoing despite the circumstances. Blinken is expected to arrive on Saturday, August 6, and will travel to South Africa soon after on August 7.
The US Embassy in the Philippines announced last week that Blinken will be visiting the Philippines and will meet with Manalo and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. after participating in the US-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, and the ASEAN Regional Forum in Cambodia from August 3 to 5.
US Secretary of State Spokesman Ned Price said that they are expected to discuss US-Philippine bilateral cooperation in energy, trade, and investment as well as “shared democratic values," and pandemic recovery efforts.
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