(BALI, Indonesia) President Benigno S. Aquino III answers question during coffee with media held at Nusa Dua Hotel Resort on Friday (October 10). (MNS photo)
MANILA (Mabuhay) – President Benigno Aquino III on Monday rallied the Philippines’ wartime allies behind peaceful resolution to modern-day conflicts between countries.
During the 70th anniversary commemoration of the Leyte Landing, Aquino encouraged envoys from the US, Australia, United Kingdom, New Zealand and Japan to continue their “genuine and meaningful solidarity’ with the Philippines.
“Let us honor the peace that has reigned over our nation for 70 years. Let us renew our commitment to strong and enduring friendships between the Philippines and its wartime allies, and perhaps with the countries that once we opposed,” Aquino said in a speech.
The President made this statement amid the Philippines’ ongoing territorial conflict with China over parts of the South China Sea, which Manila calls the West Philippine Sea.
“We commit to peace as the true legacy of a conflict that should never be repeated, and look to a shared future bound by the trust we now extend towards each nation and nourished by the freedom we so cherish,” he added.
Also in his speech, Aquino once again thanked the international community for helping the Philippines in its recovery efforts after Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), which hit parts of Visayas almost a year ago.
He said aid for Filipinos that poured from all over the world in Yolanda’s aftermath showed the international community’s “commitment to help each other.”
“Typhoon Haiyan saw countries who once belonged to the Allied and Axis Forces who once fought a great war, united in their desire to help the Filipino people,” the President said. (MNS)