President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will go to Indonesia for the 42nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit on Tuesday, May 9.
The President has just completed his working visit to the United States and attended the coronation of King Charles III in London.
He will be in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia from May 9 to 11 for the ASEAN summit.
Foreign Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary Angelito Nayan said President Marcos will discuss long-term food and energy security, economic recovery, transnational crimes, and the need to upgrade technical and vocational education and training during the summit.
Nayan said Marcos would also raise the issues regarding the adoption of climate and disaster resilient technologies, transitioning to renewable and alternative energy technologies, and the protection of migrant workers.
President Marcos is also expected to assert the importance of demonstrating ASEAN’s centrality in the region amid geopolitical issues, the DFA official said.
DFA spokesperson Ambassador Ma. Terersita Daza said the opening ceremony of the 42nd ASEAN Summit will be held in the morning of May 10.
Talks with other leaders from both ASEAN and non-ASEAN guest countries are possible at the sidelines of the summit.
This will be the President’s 12th trip in his first year and the second time he will visit Indonesia.
During the last ASEAN summit, the President pushed for the early conclusion of a Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea based on international law, which he said should be an example of how states manage their differences.
Since then, aggressive Chinese intrusions into the West Philippine Sea—and a stronger US presence in the region—have raised tensions in the South China Sea.