Marcos in Kuala Lumpur for ASEAN Summit

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos arrived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia yesterday, where he will attend the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and related summits to discuss pressing regional and global challenges from Oct. 26 to 28.

The presidential plane PR 001, carrying Marcos and his delegation, departed from Villamor Air Base in Pasay City at 11:28 a.m. and landed at the Bunga Raya Complex at 2:50 p.m.

The President and First Lady Liza Marcos were received by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Dato Sri Azalina binti Othman, Chief Government Ceremonial Officer Datuk Rozainor bin Ramli, Chief of Protocol of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dato Yubazlan Yusof, Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia Maria Angela Ponce and other officials from the Philippine embassy.

While the President is attending the regional meetings, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III and Education Secretary Sonny Angara have been designated as government caretakers.

“I will join fellow ASEAN leaders in reaffirming our commitment to ASEAN centrality as we navigate pressing regional and global challenges, including developments in the South China Sea, the situation in Myanmar, threats to regional peace and maritime security, as well as the far-reaching impacts of climate change, economic volatility and transnational crime,” Marcos said in his departure speech.

“I will also highlight the Philippines’ commitment to rules-based multilateral trading system, a vital compass as we navigate today’s complex geoeconomic challenges,” he added.

Marcos is expected to participate in 14 leaders’ level meetings and witness three signing ceremonies during the summit.

Among the key agenda items are the signing of the declaration on the admission of Timor-Leste as ASEAN’s 11th member, the second protocol amending the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement and the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade.

The Presidential Communications Office said Marcos will also hold bilateral meetings with fellow leaders to explore new opportunities for cooperation.

On the final day of the summit, Malaysia will turn over the ASEAN chairship to the Philippines.

The ASEAN chairship rotates annually among member-states in alphabetical order of their English names. The bloc is composed of the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar and Vietnam.

Myanmar was scheduled to host the 2026 ASEAN summit, but the Philippines will assume the role instead due to Myanmar’s continuing political crisis.

Marcos underscored that ASEAN’s strength lies in the collective progress of its members, noting that the Philippines is working to make its bureaucracy more responsive, accountable and transparent in serving the people.