Marcos: ASEAN leaders 'frustrated' over prolonged Myanmar crisis 

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu —President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said Friday that leaders of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have expressed frustration over the slow progress in resolving the crisis in Myanmar following the 2021 military coup.

In a press conference for the culmination of the 48th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings, Marcos described the situation in Myanmar as a “thorny problem” with no obvious solutions yet as of the moment.

“We certainly do not believe that we have not done enough. But the question was different. The question was, what more can we do? And that's how the discussion was directed. And what more can we do because it's not moving forward,” the Philippine President told reporters.

“But it is certainly frustrating for the member states that the process has not moved. Or if it has moved, it has moved very little. Certainly not as much as we had hoped it would have by this time,” he added.

Marcos said that despite the adoption of the Five-Point Consensus (5PC), which he noted was also agreed upon by Myanmar, ASEAN member states still have not seen any progress in the country.

The 5PC calls for the cessation of violence and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the people of Myanmar.

To recall, Myanmar elected military leader Min Aung Hlaing as president through 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.

Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary and ASEAN spokesman Dominic Xavier Imperial earlier said that ASEAN member states have yet to reach a consensus regarding the recognition of the recent election in Myanmar.

But for Marcos, there is no need to further recognize Myanmar, as its government has already been recognized, being a member state of ASEAN.

“We all agree that we would like to see more progress. We all agree that we all should try very hard to find ways to shift what has become a moribund process right now. It is not moving,” he explained.

He also emphasized that member states will not abandon any of the main principles by which ASEAN operates, such as the respect for human rights and the rule of law.

Nevertheless, Marcos said there was a “tacit agreement” that something more must be done to normalize the situation in Myanmar.

“The leaders would try to find any ideas. Because as we were sitting there, we said you know we don't have the answers here. These things will not be decided now. But we will go away and try and find, maybe think about what can be done to improve the process and to start to see some progress,” he said.

Newly elected Myanmar president Min Aung Hlaing was not present at the 2026 ASEAN Summit, but the country was represented by its Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, U Hau Khan Sum.

The Philippines hosted this year’s Summit as chair of ASEAN for 2026. —LDF, GMA News