Marcos to underscore PH sovereignty during ASEAN Summit

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. will participate in the 46th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia next week.

According to Department of Foreign Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary Dominic Xavier Imperial, Marcos will underscore the Philippines' sovereignty and sovereign rights during the Summit.

''In all these engagements, the President will continue to uphold and promote Philippine interests in ASEAN such as deepening security and stability in the region, economic cooperation and broadening engagement with dialogue partners,'' Imperial said in a briefing Thursday. 
 
''Furthermore, the President will continue to underscore the Philippines’ sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction in accordance with international law including the 1982 UNCLOS and the 2016 arbitral award,'' he added. 

There will also be discussions on global matters such as the issues in Myanmar and the United States' tariff policy, as well as other geopolitical concerns.

Marcos is also set to have bilateral meetings with Lao PDR, Kuwait, and Vietnam, Imperial said.

There will also be documents which will be adopted and this will cover the three pillars in ASEAN, particularly peace and security, maritime cooperation, and economic cooperation.

No trade agreements will be finalized, but certainly the US tariffs will be among the topics during the summit, Imperial said.

''So, regarding the US unilateral tariffs, I’d like to go back to what the economic ministers did a few weeks back, which they issued a joint statement among ASEAN regarding the unilateral tariffs. And gusto ko lang po i-stress doon iyong magiging action ng (I only wish to stress there is the possible action of the) ASEAN member-states which is, of course, they’re concerned but at the same time, the region will not do a retaliatory measure,'' Imperial said.

Marcos had talked with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim about regional economy and security and the coming ASEAN Summit.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Eduardo Manalo earlier said the Philippines would push for “intensified negotiations” on a crucial “Code of Conduct” that aims to prevent a major conflict in the South China Sea during the ASEAN Summit. —VAL/RF, GMA Integrated News