Marcos: PH hosting of ASEAN 2026 ‘enormous responsibility, great opportunity’

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday said the Philippines’ hosting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit and Related Meetings in 2026 is an enormous responsibility that will also bring great opportunities for the country.

He made the remarks in his “Kapihan” interview in Kuala Lumpur, shortly after receiving the chairmanship of the regional bloc from Malaysia.

Marcos received the gavel from Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in a ceremony earlier in the day upon the conclusion of the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur.

“The Philippines is now going to take on the chairship of ASEAN, which is an enormous responsibility, but at the same time provides us great opportunities for many, many aspects of our partnership with ASEAN member states and our partnerships with other allies around the world,” the President told reporters.

Although he felt “overwhelmed by the scale” of the preparations that need to be done, Marcos said he is looking forward to the opportunities “and the things that we will be able to do as chair of ASEAN.”

“I do believe that what we are aspiring to do is the same as what the aspirations are of the other member states in ASEAN. So, I am happy that we are given this opportunity. I see it as an opportunity. Of course, it’s a big job,” Marcos said.

He said the government has many things to do such as making arrangements for the state leaders and their delegates, but the more important task is the “setting of the agenda” for the regional bloc’s meetings next year.

“That is the most important opportunity that’s given us. That’s the biggest chance, that’s the biggest privilege that is being given by any chairship of a group such as ASEAN,” he said.

The President added: “That is very well balanced by the number of opportunities that we are being given, to move ASEAN forward in the directions that we feel, we, Philippines, feel are the right directions for positioning of the ASEAN and the member states for the future – the brave new world that we are all facing.”

The last time that the country hosted the ASEAN Summit was in 2017 during the term of then President Rodrigo Duterte.

Marcos said the Philippines has had eight months of preparations for physical and logistical requirements.

“Very early on in the chairship of Malaysia, I spoke already to Premier Anwar and I asked him: How is it going? And he said: You know this is what we’re having to do and these are the things that we are having to arrange. It’s a big… And so immediately I said: We’re next, we have to start preparing,” he said. — JMA, GMA Integrated News