Philippine President Marcos Opens 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. opened the 48th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings on May 8, 2026, in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu province, urging Southeast Asian leaders to respond with unity as the Middle East conflict creates profound uncertainty across the region.

” He welcomed delegates to Cebu, noting it was his great pleasure to host them despite their demanding schedules and pressing responsibilities at home.

"It is especially meaningful that we gather in this historic place," Marcos said in his address. As a pre-colonial trading hub, Cebu long served as a gateway and crossroads of trade, ideas and peoples. Half a century before 2026, Cebu witnessed the birth of Philippine international connectivity, the introduction of a lasting spiritual and cultural heritage, and the beginnings of a major regional hub.

Twenty years before May 8, 2026, leaders signed the Cebu Declaration on the Blueprint of the ASEAN Charter in Cebu. Marcos said the location offered a fitting place to advance regional cooperation, economic resilience and sustainability.

The Philippine Chairship is anchored on the three Ps: Peace and Security Anchors, Prosperity Corridors, and People Empowerment. Marcos called on ASEAN member states to work more closely as they face challenges brought by the Middle East conflict. "Respond with unity, with wisdom, with resolve, at a time when our region is once again faced with profound uncertainty," Marcos stated.

He noted that the increasingly volatile situation in the Middle East has impacted the region, challenging nations to remain agile in the face of uncertainties which threaten lifestyles, livelihoods and lives. In response to the Middle East conflict, the Philippines scaled down non-essential activities and shifted applicable meetings from physical to virtual platforms for its ASEAN Chairship hosting.