Marcos meets with UN's Guterres during New York visit

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday met with United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres to tackle various issues, including the Philippines’ bid for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

According to a press release from the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), Marcos met with Guterres at the UN headquarters in New York on the sidelines of the former’s two-day working visit.

The President was accompanied by Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro, Philippine Permanent Representative to the UN in New York Ambassador Enrique Manalo, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez, and Acting PCO Secretary Dave Gomez. 

According to Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro, Marcos informed Guterres about the key developments in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

''Masaya po ang Pangulo na ini-report na magkakaroon na po ng kauna-unahang eleksyon sa BARMM sa September this year,'' she said in a press briefing there.  

(The President was happy to report that an election will take place in BARMM this year.)

Marcos also thanked the UN for playing an important role in the development of BARMM, according to the Palace official.

Castro further said Guterres, for his part, has highlighted ASEAN's crucial role in strengthening global cooperation. 

''He commended ASEAN for upholding the primacy of international law and its full respect for the UNCLOS,'' Castro said.

''He also wished the President the best in campaigning for our candidature. The Philippines has been known in the UN as the bridge builder and he wants to see and hear the voice of the Philippines in the UN as loud as possible,'' she added.

The PCO said the two leaders’ bilateral meeting reaffirmed the “long-standing partnership between the Philippines and the global body.”

It added that the Philippines’ candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council “will be a manifestation of a further reaffirmation of this long-term partnership.”

The elections for this non-permanent seat will be held on June 3, 2026.

Marcos previously met Guterres in October last year on the sidelines of the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Summits in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. — with a report from Anna Felicia Bajo/JMA/AOL, GMA Integrated News