ASEAN leaders meet in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, at the 47th ASEAN Summit in October 2025 | Photo by Ricardo Stuckert via Wikimedia Commons
The Philippines will once again take center stage in the international arena as it assumes the ASEAN chairmanship next year. It marks not only a ceremonial milestone but also a significant strategic opportunity for the country to reaffirm its leadership role in a rapidly changing region. For a nation that has long stood at the crossroads of Asia and the Pacific, this is a defining moment to shape ASEAN’s direction, as global and regional dynamics shift at unprecedented speed.
As host of the 48th ASEAN Summit, the Philippines will have the opportunity to lead discussions on issues that matter most to the region: economic recovery, security, digital transformation, climate resilience, and the evolving geopolitical balance between major powers. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has made it clear that the Philippines seeks to strengthen ASEAN unity while promoting a rules-based international order that respects the sovereignty and rights of every nation, large or small.
It is a crucial time, as the Indo-Pacific is witnessing rising tensions. The ongoing disputes in the South China Sea, especially around the West Philippine Sea, continue to test ASEAN’s cohesion and credibility.
While member-states maintain different perspectives, the Philippines’ consistent stand on international law – anchored on the 2016 PCA Arbitral Ruling – gives it moral and legal weight to steer the conversation toward peaceful, lawful solutions. The Philippines’ leadership in ASEAN can help ensure that dialogue, not coercion, becomes the norm in regional diplomacy.
The President emphasized that the Philippines’ chairship arrives “at a defining moment for ASEAN, one marked by both promise and complexity. For though the tides of change may be unpredictable, our compass must remain constant, anchored in cooperation. It must be oriented toward maintaining a stable and secure region, built upon a shared vision of an open, inclusive, transparent and rules-based ASEAN regional architecture.”
Equally important, the country’s hosting of ASEAN next year gives it a platform to advance its economic diplomacy. With over 680 million people, ASEAN is one of the world’s fastest-growing economic regions. The Philippines, under President Marcos Jr., is pursuing a dynamic trade and investment agenda that aims to make the country an innovation hub, a center for green energy, and a reliable partner in global supply chains. Hosting the summit will allow the Philippines to showcase these reforms and attract new partnerships across infrastructure, technology, and education – vital sectors that will define the region’s future competitiveness.
” … [A]s the Philippines takes its turn at the helm, it must show that leadership is not about size or power, but about courage, conviction, and the ability to bring nations together. For the Philippines, this is not just an ASEAN moment – it is our moment to shine as a nation: united, confident, and ready to lead.”
At the same time, the Philippines’ leadership will be tested by how it manages relations with the region’s major partners – particularly China and the United States. While China remains a vital economic partner, its assertive behavior in disputed waters poses challenges to regional stability. Meanwhile, the country’s strengthened alliance with the United States – through the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement and military exercises – reflects a desire to ensure credible defense and freedom of navigation. Balancing these relationships while maintaining ASEAN centrality will be a key diplomatic task.
ASEAN’s value has always been in its unity – the principle that, despite our differences, we can move forward together. The Philippines, as chair, must reinvigorate that spirit. It must encourage open dialogue and practical cooperation among member-states on shared challenges such as transnational crime, cyber threats, migration, and food security. Beyond declarations and communiqués, ASEAN must deliver tangible benefits to its peoples – job opportunities, education, and stability.
Guided by the official theme of “Navigating Our Future Together” for ASEAN in 2026, the Philippines has outlined three main priorities as host: fortifying peace and security that is anchored on regional stability, particularly in addressing concerns in the South China Sea; strengthening prosperity corridors by promoting shared economic growth and cooperation in trade, investment, digital innovation and advancing people’s empowerment.
These main priorities reflect not just the country’s aspirations but the “resolve to ensure that ASEAN’s integration agenda translates into real opportunities, for businesses to grow, for communities to thrive and for progress to be inclusive, sustainable and shared by all,” the President said in his remarks during the 47th ASEAN summit closing ceremony in Kuala Lumpur.
Certainly, hosting the summit will provide the Philippines with an opportunity to strengthen its global image. As the world looks toward Southeast Asia for the next wave of economic growth, the Philippines can position itself as a credible, constructive, and confident voice—a country that bridges differences and inspires consensus. Hopefully, President Xi Jinping and President Trump will both attend next year’s ASEAN Summit. Actually, as we were leaving the White House during President Marcos’ official visit last July, we invited President Trump to come to Manila for the ASEAN Summit next year, to which he readily said, “I will be there.”
In many ways, next year’s ASEAN Leadership Summit will be about legacy – not just for this administration, but for the Filipino people. It is a chance to demonstrate that the Philippines can lead with vision, pragmatism, and principle; that it can protect its national interests while contributing to regional peace and prosperity. It is also a moment for Filipinos to take pride in how far the nation has come – from being an ASEAN founding member in 1967 to being one of its most engaged and respected voices today.
Definitely, the world will be watching. And as the Philippines takes its turn at the helm, it must show that leadership is not about size or power, but about courage, conviction, and the ability to bring nations together. For the Philippines, this is not just an ASEAN moment – it is our moment to shine as a nation: united, confident, and ready to lead.
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