October 8, 2024 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos will depart for Vientiane, Laos today for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, where he is expected to highlight the country’s position on key global issues, including recent developments in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
The 44th and 45th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits will be held from Oct. 8 to 11 at the National Convention Center in Vientiane under the theme “ASEAN: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience.”
Marcos is scheduled to meet the Filipino community at the Wanda Hotel in Vientiane upon his arrival today, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary Daniel Espiritu said at a pre-departure briefing on Friday.
Around 400 members of the community are expected to attend the gathering, Espiritu said, noting that most Filipinos in Laos are professionals and work in the hospitality industry.
On Oct. 9, the President will join other leaders at the opening and the plenary session of the 44th ASEAN Summit, which will be followed by the 45th ASEAN Summit Retreat Session.
In the afternoon, Marcos will attend three interfaces with sectoral bodies of ASEAN: the ASEAN Interparliamentary Assembly (IPA), the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (BAC) and the ASEAN youth.
Speaker Martin Romualdez and Zamboanga Rep. Glona Labadlabad will join the President at the IPA meeting.
Acting Trade Secretary Cristina Aldeguer-Roque and representatives from the Philippine business sector, including Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion, George Barcelon and Michael Tan, will join Marcos at the interface of the ASEAN BAC.
Meanwhile, the President will be accompanied by Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian and youth representatives from the Philippines, Ymari Kristia Pascua and Alfredo Sablay, at the leaders’ interface with the ASEAN youth.
On Oct. 10, the President will participate in the 27th ASEAN-China Summit, ASEAN-Republic of Korea Summit, ASEAN-Japan Summit and ASEAN Plus Three Summit with China, Japan and Korea.
In the afternoon, Marcos will join the ASEAN-Australia Summit to be followed by an ASEAN-India Summit and the ASEAN-Canada Special Summit.
Laos Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone will be hosting a gala dinner for the heads of state and other delegations of ASEAN on Oct. 10.
On Oct. 11, Marcos will join the last ASEAN Plus One Summit with the US, to be followed by the East Asia Summit – the highest-level strategic dialogue in Southeast Asia – and the ASEAN-UN Summit.
Marcos will also participate in the second Asia Zero Emission Community Leaders’ Meeting as a side event on the same day.
The first Asia Zero Emission Community Leaders’ Meeting was held in Tokyo, Japan last December. The meeting aims for the decarbonization of ASEAN economies, Espiritu said.
There are also possible bilateral meetings between Marcos and other heads of state on the sidelines of the meetings, including Canada, New Zealand, Vietnam and Japan, he added.
As of Friday, the President has no scheduled bilateral meeting with China.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is not expected to attend the ASEAN Summit and will be represented by Chinese Premier Li Qiang. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will represent US President Joe Biden, according to Espiritu.
Marcos is expected to raise the WPS issue during his meetings with counterparts, the DFA official said.
“The President always champions that (WPS) issue in all of the summits from the very start,” Espiritu said. “Of course, the recent developments, but I won’t go into the details of that.”
