ASEAN leaders commend, commit to Marawi recovery efforts
MANILA, Nov. 16 – "Less than a month ago, Philippine government forces liberated the city of Marawi from terrorist groups who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State." This was how President Duterte opened the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit on Monday. Off the bat, Duterte set the tone of the subsequent discussions to be made during the three days' worth of meetings, which mostly dealt with the growing threat of terrorism. The Philippine president, heading the ASEAN this year, thanked the ASEAN leaders and its partners for providing assistance to Marawi City's recovery process, with its citizens beginning to return to the conflict-stricken areas. In line with this, attendees of the meetings continued to commit to help the internally displaced people (IDPs) get back on their feet. Aside from the 1.5 billion yen (P676 million) they initially guaranteed to give the Philippines, for maritime safety and the reconstruction of Maraw