PH donates humanitarian aid to Burma’s Rakhine State

President Rodrigo Duterte and Myanmar’s State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. Photo by Jaymee Gamil

NAYPYITAW, Burma (Myanmar)—The Philippine government has donated US$300,000 in humanitarian assistance to Burma’s Rakhine State—a hotbed of religious violence between the Buddhist communities and the persecuted minority Rohingya Muslims.

The pledge was made official during President Duterte’s meeting with Burmese President Htin Kyaw and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi at the President’s Palace here on Monday afternoon.

Mr. Duterte presented Suu Kyi a symbolic check representing the assistance to Rakhine State.

Suu Kyi later issued a letter thanking the Philippine government for the “thoughtful gesture” that “reflects the Asean solidarity and family spirit, as well as the traditional bonds of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.”

Bilateral talks

Mr. Duterte first held bilateral talks with Htin Kyaw. The two presidents witnessed the signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding on food security and agricultural cooperation.

“I thank you and the people of Myanmar for the timely assistance, particularly to those who were affected by typhoon ‘Pablo,’ which hit my island in Mindanao, the earthquake in Bohol, and typhoon [Haiyan],” Mr. Duterte said at the banquet hosted by Htin Kyaw.

Burma was the first to help the Philippines when the country was hit by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) in 2013.

Closer cooperation

Mr. Duterte said the Philippines was aiming for more cooperation in agriculture, labor and trade and investment, and a “broad range of issues.”

“In defense and security, we must work closer to address the threats of terrorism and violent extremism that undermine the economic progress we have so far achieved,” he said.

He referred to his war on drugs. “We should be unrelenting in our fight to dismantle the apparatus of the illegal drug trade,” he said. “This menace is a challenge that knows no borders and affects all of us in the region.”

Mr. Duterte in the afternoon met separately with Burma’s military commander in chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, to “explore deepening of bilateral defense cooperation.”

Courtesy call

Earlier in the day, officials of a group of Filipino companies that have offices in Burma—around 20—paid a courtesy call on Mr. Duterte.

“Our trading with Burma is still small—we’re just starting to trade again,” Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez noted in an interview. “Our relationship here is a bit of a start-up—but these are opportunities.”

The Philippines’ major imports from Burma are agricultural products, while the Philippines’ top exports to Burma are medicaments for therapeutic or prophylactic uses.

Lopez said the Philippine government was eyeing Burma as a potential market for hybrid rice seed exports.

After the banquet, the President and his delegation flew to Thailand for a three-day official visit before flying home.