President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. underscored the Philippines’ support for stronger regional economic cooperation, sustainable growth, and fair trade during the 47th ASEAN Summit held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from October 26 to 28.
In a recorded arrival statement, Marcos said the discussions centered on economic resilience and sustainability, as ASEAN leaders and global partners explored strategies to secure long-term regional growth.
“The leaders and I spoke about future-proofing our region through economic cooperation and sustainable growth. We heard discussions from the IMF, from the BRICS group, from the G20, amongst others. We reaffirmed ASEAN’s collective commitment to a rules-based, open, inclusive, transparent, and non-discriminatory multilateral system,” he said.
During the summit, Mr. Marcos said that he strengthened the Philippines’ trade with external partners, noting ‘upgrades in the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement, amendments in free trade agreements, and utilization of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).’
On the sidelines, the president met with the leaders of Cambodia, Canada, Thailand, Japan, the EU, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Nations Secretary General.
To conclude the summit, Malaysia formally handed over the ASEAN chairship for 2026 to the Philippines.
“As the 2026 Chair of ASEAN, the Philippines looks forward to building on the gains of Malaysia’s inclusivity and sustainability theme and carry ASEAN forward as we, as is our theme, ‘Navigate our Future, Together,’” he added.
The president arrived at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City at 2:55 a.m. on Wednesday.
Earlier, Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Angelica Escalona confirmed that Mr. Marcos will attend the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju, South Korea, from October 30 to November 2.
