Regional leaders start arriving in PH for ASEAN Summit 2026

LAPU-LAPU CITY, CEBU — Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have started arriving in Cebu, Philippines to participate in the 48th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings.

Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, Prime Minister of Timor-Leste, landed in Cebu on Thursday noon.

Timor-Leste is Asia’s youngest nation and only officially became the 11th member of ASEAN in October 2025.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. previously said that Timor-Leste’s presence at the summit reflects "the continued relevance of regional cooperation and our shared commitment to the ideals of multilateralism.”

Also expected to arrive in the country on Thursday are Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

Marcos, meanwhile, arrived in Cebu on Wednesday evening.

Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam also landed in the country last night.

U Hau Khan Sum, Permanent Secretary of Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, likewise arrived in Cebu on Wednesday.

Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary and ASEAN spokesman Dominic Xavier Imperial earlier said that all the heads of state of its member nations, except that of Myanmar, will attend the ASEAN Summit 2026 and related meetings in Cebu.

ASEAN member-states have yet to reach a consensus regarding the recognition of the recent election in Myanmar, which was won by military leader Min Aung Hlaing in a parliamentary vote in April. He came to power in 2021 when the administration of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi was ousted. —VAL, GMA News