Kuala lumpur: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and his delegation arrived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit. The Chief Executive is accompanied by First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, his Cabinet secretaries, and senior officials, including Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Dave Gomez, Undersecretary Claire Castro, Trade Secretary Cristina Aldeguer-Roque, and Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian.
According to Philippines News Agency, the Philippine delegation was welcomed by Dato’ Sri Azalina binti Othman Said, Minister in the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform); Datuk Rozainor bin Ramli, Malaysian Government’s Chief of Ceremony; Dato’ Yubazlan Yusof, Chief of Protocol of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia Maria Angela Ponce. President Marcos aims to champion peace and stability and push for closer economic cooperation within the region during the summit.
In his departure message at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City, Marcos emphasized the importance of regional cooperation. “As always, our participation in the ASEAN Summit reaffirms our dedication to deepening regional cooperation and to advancing the well-being of every Filipino and the entire Southeast Asian community,” he stated. He also highlighted the need to strengthen the bureaucracy to better serve the Filipino people.
Ponce, in an interview with Radio Television Malaca±ang, mentioned that Marcos is expected to have a “very full and substantive agenda” at the summit, where he would promote and advocate for Philippine interests within the region. A significant event at the summit will be the President’s signing of the Declaration on the Admission of Timor-Leste into ASEAN as its 11th member.
Additionally, Marcos will witness the signing of the Second Protocol to Amend the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement and the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade. On the economic front, he will attend the 5th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement Leaders’ Summit and hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts on the sidelines.
Ponce highlighted the opportunity presented by the ASEAN Summit for leaders to convene and discuss various issues. “You know, the ASEAN Summit is an opportunity to have many leaders all together at once. And so to maximize the presence of the President here, as well as of having his counterparts here, he will be having quite a number of bilateral meetings as well,” she said.
At the conclusion of the summit, Marcos will accept the ASEAN 2026 chairmanship during a turnover ceremony by Malaysia on October 28.
