Photo courtesy of Presidential Communications Office/Facebook.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called for closer economic cooperation among Southeast Asian nations to boost the region’s global economic role during the Philippines’ chairship.
He spoke at the ASEAN Editors and Economic Opinion Leaders Forum at the Fairmont Hotel in Makati City, citing the chairship theme, “Navigating Our Future, Together.”
Marcos said ASEAN members share the goal of strengthening the bloc’s economic influence while recognizing differences in population, development, and economic scale.
He added that regional collaboration did not require uniform policies and that each country could pursue national priorities while contributing to ASEAN-wide objectives.
The president noted that intra-ASEAN trade accounted for about 23 percent of total regional commerce, with the majority of trade occurring outside the bloc.
He mentioned efforts to improve cross-border processes, coordinate regulations, and standardize import procedures across member states.
The forum brought together senior policymakers, business leaders, economists, ASEAN officials, and media representatives to discuss trade, investment, and regional economic development.
Marcos said ASEAN centrality must remain a guiding principle for the bloc’s economic resurgence and emphasized that unity among members would help restore ASEAN’s role as a global economic driver.
