PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday led an interagency meeting to discuss preparations for the country’s hosting of the 2026 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit.
Each department presented their priority plans, which center on job creation, support for small businesses, improving digital services, and strengthening people-centered programs.
“The meeting discussed measures that will strengthen the call to deliver direct economic benefits to the sub-region,” Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro said in Filipino in a Palace briefing.
“The president also wanted to focus on assisting the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, or BARMM, for the upcoming BIMP-EAGA (Brunei–Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East Asean Growth Area) Asean Summit and other important topics. Currently, various Philippine agencies are in full swing for the upcoming Asean Summit,” she added.
Coordination among concerned agencies is crucial to ensure a smooth, secure, and well-coordinated hosting of the annual gathering, Castro said.
Those who attended the meeting were Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, Foreign Affairs Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro, Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina Aldeguer-Roque, Information Communications and Technology Secretary Henry Aguda, Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian, Presidential Communications Office Acting Secretary Dave Gomez, and Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum.
