Philippines assumes Asean chair

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Philippine PHLPost Postmaster General Joel Otarra unveil the Philippines' ASEAN Chairmanship Special Stamp during the Philippines' ASEAN Chairmanship launch at SMX Convention Center in Davao city, southern Philippines on January 15, 2017. - REUTERS/Lean Daval Jr

HANOI: The Philippines officially assumed the Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in 2017 at a ceremony in Davao city on Sunday, Vietnam news agency (VNA) reported.

Speaking at the ceremony, President Rodrigo Duterte stressed that the Philippines, as Asean chair, will hold fast to ideologies and values that the grouping is pursuing and will persist in cooperation to realise common aspirations.