President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is expected to express support for a ceasefire in Myanmar during the upcoming 46th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in line with ongoing efforts to address the country’s political and humanitarian crisis.
This follows a recent phone call between Marcos and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, where the leaders discussed coordinating efforts on Myanmar ahead of the Philippines’ assumption of the ASEAN chairmanship in 2026.
“As the incoming chair, the Philippines will work closely with Malaysia to ensure progress on the situation in Myanmar,” Foreign Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary Dominic Xavier Imperial said during a pre-departure briefing in Malacañang on Thursday.
Malaysia currently holds the ASEAN chairmanship for 2025.
Imperial confirmed that Mr. Marcos will support calls for a ceasefire within Myanmar and will advocate for deeper regional cooperation on the issue during the summit.
“That’s part of the agenda of the President—to call for and deepen cooperation on the ceasefire,” Imperial said.
On the sensitive issue of the Myanmar military junta’s participation in ASEAN, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) official emphasized the bloc’s adherence to its principles, including non-interference and consensus under the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC).
“Any decision made by the current junta that is acceptable to ASEAN will be welcomed by the Philippines,” Imperial said.
The President is also expected to raise the importance of continued humanitarian assistance to Myanmar, particularly in light of recent natural disasters.
Imperial noted that the Philippines and other ASEAN members have been active in delivering aid to the country, using ASEAN’s humanitarian framework to reach conflict-affected areas.
ASEAN has struggled to implement its Five-Point Consensus on Myanmar, a peace plan agreed upon in 2021 that includes ending violence, facilitating humanitarian access, and initiating dialogue among all parties. Progress has stalled amid ongoing armed conflict and political instability in the country since the 2021 military coup.
Marcos is scheduled to join nine high-level meetings during the two-day summit on May 26 to 27, which includes the 46th ASEAN Summit, the BIMP-EAGA Summit, and the ASEAN-GCC and ASEAN-GCC-China summits.