President Marcos: ‘Very bare-bones’ Asean summit to push throughMANILA, Philippines — The Philippines will push through with its hosting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, President Marcos said yesterday, amid calls from some quarters to postpone it to free up public funds to support vulnerable sectors heavily impacted by the skyrocketing fuel prices sparked by the Middle East conflict. We will push through with the ASEAN Summit, but the way that we described it is that we have – it is a bare bones ASEAN Summit,” the Chief Executive said. The 48th ASEAN Leaders’ Summit will take place on May 8 to 9 in Cebu, bringing together leaders from the 11 ASEAN member-states. The 49th ASEAN Leaders’ Summit, meanwhile, is scheduled from Nov. 10 to 12 in Manila, at the newly renovated Philippine International Convention Center that will also be attended by leaders from ASEAN’s dialogue partners. The 2026 hosting will mark the country’s fourth time to host the ASEAN Summit.

Source: Philippine Star March 27, 2026 16:34 UTC