Cebu, Philippines – The 48th ASEAN Summit formally opened on Friday, May 8, at what regional leaders described as a defining moment for Southeast Asia, as the bloc confronts mounting geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty, and the widening impact of the Middle East crisis.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., serving as ASEAN Chair for 2026, opened the summit in Cebu by warning that the increasingly volatile situation in the Middle East is already affecting ASEAN economies and livelihoods.
“The increasingly volatile situation in the Middle East has impacted our region, challenging us to remain agile in the face of uncertainties which threaten lifestyles, livelihoods, and lives,” Marcos said during his opening remarks.
“Many of our countrymen continue to look to us, their leaders, not only for stability, but for reassurance and for hope,” the president added.
The summit is being held under the Philippine chairmanship theme “Navigating Our Future, Together.”
Marcos said ASEAN is once again gathering “at a defining moment in our shared journey” as member states confront rising geopolitical tensions and economic disruptions.
“As we gather then for an important milestone, so do we stand together today to demonstrate ASEAN’s capacity to respond with unity, with wisdom, with resolve, at a time when our region is once again faced with profound uncertainty,” he said.
Marcos said Manila was forced to recalibrate its ASEAN hosting because of the Middle East conflict, including scaling down non-essential activities and shifting several meetings to virtual platforms.
“For the Philippines, we made the difficult decision to recalibrate our ASEAN Chairship hosting in response to the Middle East conflict through the scaling down of non-essential activities and shifting of applicable meetings from physical to virtual platforms,” Marcos said.
“Despite the said calibration, we strive to remain responsive to the needs of our ASEAN community and focus on fulfilling our Chairship goals,” he added.
Ahead of the leaders’ summit, ASEAN foreign and economic ministers convened a series of high-level meetings dominated by concerns over the Middle East conflict, which officials warned continues to disrupt global oil markets, trade routes, transportation, tourism, and food supply chains.
Marcos stressed that ASEAN’s unity becomes even more important during periods of instability.
“If there is one lesson ASEAN has learned over the decades, it is that difficult times do not divide us,” he said.
“For ASEAN, challenges present us with opportunities that have further strengthened our resolve to work more closely, to listen more carefully, and to act more purposefully,” he added.
The summit is also expected to tackle broader regional flashpoints, including negotiations on the South China Sea Code of Conduct, the ongoing crisis in Myanmar, and Timor-Leste’s integration as ASEAN’s newest member state.
On the sidelines of the summit, Marcos also facilitated trilateral talks between Thailand and Cambodia, where both sides agreed to sustain dialogue and confidence-building efforts amid lingering border tensions.
