President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. assured that corruption issues in the Philippines will not affect the country’s preparations to host the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Summits in 2026.
Speaking to reporters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Marcos said domestic issues—such as alleged anomalies in flood control projects—have no bearing on the nation’s upcoming ASEAN chairmanship.
“We do not allow those local political issues of any member state to intrude into what we are trying to do. That’s my experience so far,” Marcos said.
He emphasized that internal concerns of ASEAN members “do not matter in the decision-making” of the regional bloc.
“We talk about ASEAN. Whatever is happening in other countries that belong to ASEAN doesn’t really enter into our conversation. It does not make a difference to the directions that we would like to take, the initiatives that we would like to take,” he added.
Marcos also said he has no intention of influencing other ASEAN leaders on how to handle corruption.
“We all want to fight corruption. I’m not there. I’m not there, even if you’re the chair. These are presidents and prime ministers and one king. So, it’s not in our place to tell them this is what you should do, this is what you should not do,” he said.
The President reaffirmed that the Philippines is fully prepared to host the ASEAN Summit next year.