MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang on Thursday maintained it was “all systems go” for the staging of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit and related Summits this year despite the crisis the nation is facing.
In a press briefing, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro gave reassurance that the first high-level meeting, the 48th Asean Leaders Summit and Related Meetings in Cebu on May 7 and 8, is all set.
“All systems go. We are ready,” she said in Filipino.
Last month, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered a recalibration of the Philippines’ hosting of Asean 2026, scaling down non-essential activities “in order to save on expenses and focus on the most important” amid the effects of the war in the Middle East.
While smaller engagements would be conducted virtually, the Leaders Summit would be face-to-face in a “very bare-bones” format.
