UNITY, resilience and stronger regional cooperation took center stage as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. formally opened the 48th Asean Summit and Related Meetings at the Mactan Expo in Lapu-Lapu City on Friday, May 8, 2026.
In his opening speech, Marcos said Asean nations must respond “with unity, wisdom and resolve” as the region faces the impact of the worsening conflict in the Middle East and other global challenges.
“We meet at a time of considerable challenge across our region and beyond,” Marcos told delegates and leaders from the 10-member regional bloc.
He said the volatile situation in the Middle East continues to threaten livelihoods, economies and lives, pushing Asean member-states to adjust their approaches and strengthen coordination.
Marcos said the Philippines recalibrated its hosting of the summit by scaling down non-essential activities and shifting some meetings to virtual platforms in response to the ongoing crisis.
“Despite the said calibration, we strive to remain responsive to the needs of our Asean community and focus on fulfilling our chairship goals,” Marcos said.
Under the Philippine chairship, this year’s summit carries the theme “Navigating Our Future Together.”
Marcos also highlighted Cebu’s historical role as a center of trade and regional connectivity, describing it as a crossroads of “trade, ideas and peoples” long before modern borders existed.
He recalled that Cebu hosted a key Asean gathering 20 years ago, where leaders signed the Cebu Declaration that laid the groundwork for the Asean Charter in 2007.
The summit gathers Asean leaders for discussions on regional security, economic resilience, sustainability and cooperation under the Philippines’ “Three Ps” agenda: peace and security anchors, prosperity corridors and people empowerment. (DPC)