MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos opened the 49th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit yesterday with a call on fellow leaders to continue working together to protect citizens from external shocks, saying “collective work served us well.”
In his remarks during the opening ceremony at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay, Marcos underscored anew the importance of pushing through with the bi-annual meeting as nations grapple with disrupted energy supplies and rising prices brought by the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
“We come from different shores, yet, we have chosen to travel forward together. That commitment matters even more as the waters around us turn on shifting tides,” the President said.
“Geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty, new technologies, climate change and transnational threats are reshaping our region faster than any one country can respond to alone,” he added.
ASEAN leaders first met in Cebu in May for the 48th ASEAN Summit.
“As developments in the Middle East placed ASEAN nationals at risk and disrupted transport, energy, and food supplies, we considered whether to hold our meeting in abeyance while we attended to the necessities at home. But in our consultations, we reached a clear consensus that it was precisely the moment for ASEAN to come together to forge a decisive response,” Marcos said.
ASEAN member-states “responded quickly, rethinking, recalibrating, and re-designing while keeping our longer-term work at center,” Marcos said.
“No member state possesses every resource, every capability, or every solution required by the challenges and opportunities we face, but where national capacities are tested, regional strength reinforces,” he said.
Marcos also presided over the plenary session of this year’s ASEAN Summit.
In his speech, the President said the Philippines has organized its ASEAN chairship around three priorities: peace and security anchors, prosperity corridors and people empowerment.
Marcos said the Philippines has pushed for stronger maritime cooperation, advancing efforts at crafting an effective code of conduct in the South China Sea, in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
“Under peace and security anchors, we focus on the conditions that allow the region to remain peaceful, stable and secure,” the Chief Executive said.
Stronger connectivity
To foster more resilient, sustainable and inclusive growth, ASEAN member-states have worked to strengthen connectivity across markets, energy systems, infrastructure, technology and finance.
“These efforts will culminate in the completion of all 19 priority economic deliverables of the Philippine chairship by the end of 2026, including the signing of the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement,” the President said.
Under People in Power, Marcos said the 11-member bloc has worked to build a more inclusive and resilient Asia, one that protects people in vulnerable situations and strengthens families and communities.
Attending the ASEAN plenary were Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei; Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Thailand Prime Minister Anutin Charnivarakul, Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto, Vietnam Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, Lao PDR Prime Minister Saleuxmay Kommasith, Timor Leste Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, Cambodia Deputy Prime Minister Hangchuon Naron; and Director General U Han Win Aung, representative of Myanmar.
Also present were Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and International Monetary Fund managing director Kristalina Georgieva.