President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. described Cebu as the ideal venue for the 48th ASEAN Summit, highlighting the province’s historical role as a center of trade, culture, and regional cooperation as Southeast Asian leaders gathered amid growing global challenges.
Speaking during the opening of the summit in Lapu-Lapu City on Friday, Marcos said Cebu has long served as a gateway to the Philippines even before the country’s modern borders were established.
“It is especially meaningful that we gather in this historic place. As a pre-colonial trading hub, the historic province of Cebu has served as a gateway to our beautiful country,” the President said.
“Long before our modern borders existed, Cebu already stood as a crossroads of trade, ideas, and peoples,” he added.
Marcos also recalled Cebu’s significance in ASEAN history, noting that leaders gathered in the province two decades ago to sign the Cebu Declaration on the Blueprint of the ASEAN Charter, which later paved the way for the formal adoption of the ASEAN Charter in 2007.
According to the President, the current summit once again places Cebu at the center of a crucial moment for the region as member-states work together to address economic, political, and security concerns.
“It is therefore a fitting place for our summit, providing us with a valuable opportunity to advance regional cooperation, economic resilience, and sustainability,” Marcos said.
The 48th ASEAN Summit comes at a time of heightened concern over the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, which has disrupted global supply chains and raised concerns over energy and food security across Southeast Asia.
Ahead of the leaders’ summit, ASEAN ministers held meetings focusing on key regional priorities, including stabilizing energy supply, strengthening food security, and ensuring the safety of ASEAN nationals affected by global tensions.
Despite the challenges faced individually by member-states, Marcos thanked regional leaders and dialogue partners for participating in the summit and reaffirming ASEAN solidarity.
“My appreciation extends to ASEAN and our partners in ASEAN, because despite facing deep challenges of your own, you have come to support us and to work with us to respond to this crisis,” he said.
“If there is one lesson ASEAN has learned over the decades, it is that difficult times do not divide us,” the President added.