ASEAN Caps Cebu Summit With Unity Call Amid Global Uncertainty

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu, May 9 (Bernama-PNA) – Beneath the bright lights of the Mactan Expo Centre and the drumbeats of Cebu’s street dancers, Southeast Asian leaders gathered this week carrying the weight of rising oil prices, supply chain disruptions, border tensions, and an increasingly volatile global landscape, The Philippine News Agency (PNA) reported.

Yet, as the 48th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Meetings ended Friday night in Cebu, the message from leaders was one of steadiness, stressing that the regional bloc would respond not with division, but with coordination, diplomacy, and collective action.

“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,” President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said as he formally opened the summit.

The Philippines hosted the summit under a scaled-down format after recalibrating preparations amid the worsening conflict in the Middle East.

Hundreds of preparatory meetings were shifted online while non-essential activities were trimmed to reduce costs, but Manila pushed through with the summit, arguing that regional coordination was needed more than ever.

By Thursday, all ASEAN leaders and representatives had arrived in Cebu, transforming the resort island into the centre of regional diplomacy.

West Asia, energy woes take centre stage

Inside the summit halls of Shangri-La Mactan and the Mactan Expo Centre, discussions quickly turned to the ripple effects of the West Asia  crisis, from soaring fuel costs and food insecurity to threats facing migrant workers and global shipping routes.

At Friday’s plenary session, Marcos urged ASEAN leaders to strengthen regional energy coordination, safeguard food supply chains, and protect ASEAN nationals caught in global crises.

“ASEAN solidarity must be measured by our ability to act in concert to safeguard our peoples wherever they may be,” he said.

The summit later adopted an ASEAN Leaders’ Statement on the Response to the West Asia Crisis, while leaders also pushed for stronger energy security mechanisms, regional food resilience, and closer economic cooperation.

Marcos said ASEAN leaders were united in calling for peace in West Asia and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil route.

Among the summit’s key outcomes was the adoption of the Cebu Protocol amending the ASEAN Charter, the first amendment since 2007, seen as a major step toward Timor-Leste’s eventual full membership in ASEAN after a 14-year wait.

The peacemaker

Beyond the formal declarations, one of the summit’s defining moments unfolded during a trilateral meeting brokered by the Philippines between Thailand and Cambodia.

For a brief moment on Thursday evening, cameras captured Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet shaking hands beside Marcos following talks aimed at easing tensions over their deadly border dispute.

“This meeting was arranged by the Philippines as a way to provide its good offices in our capacity as Chair of ASEAN for 2026,” Marcos said.

The leaders agreed to continue dialogue and extend the work of the ASEAN Observer Team monitoring the ceasefire.

Ensuring food security

Food security also emerged as a major theme of the summit.

During a bilateral meeting, Marcos and Vietnamese Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng agreed to establish a “long-term rice trade mechanism,” aimed at stabilising rice supply between the Philippines and Vietnam amid concerns over global food disruptions.

At the Special Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines - East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Summit, leaders adopted the BIMP-EAGA Vision 2035 focused on connectivity, food and energy security, digital transformation, and sustainable development.

“This vision is not merely a roadmap for economic integration, it is a promise to our people that development will be meaningful, sustainable, and felt in their daily lives,” Marcos said.

Cebuano culture and Filipino hospitality

Even amid high-level diplomacy, organisers infused the summit with Cebuano culture and Filipino hospitality.

ASEAN leaders and spouses were welcomed by cultural performances, including that of the Sinulog sa Dakbayan street dancing champions Lumar Basakanon from Barangay Basak San Nicolas, while First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos hosted ASEAN spouses with Filipino cuisine, music, and locally crafted products.

“Beyond the meetings and discussions, ASEAN is also about friendship, understanding, and learning from each other,” the First Lady said.

By Friday evening, as leaders gathered for the gala dinner that capped the summit, Marcos reflected on how ASEAN had once again been tested by events beyond the region’s control.

“The strength of ASEAN has never depended on the absence of difficulty,” he said. “It has grown on our willingness to confront difficulties.”

The Cebu meetings marked the first leg of the Philippines’ ASEAN chairship for 2026, ahead of the 49th ASEAN Summit in November in Metro Manila, where regional leaders and dialogue partners, including the United States, China, and Japan, are expected to tackle broader geopolitical and economic challenges under the theme “Navigating Our Future, Together.” 

-- BERNAMA-PNA