PHNOM PENH, Cambodia—President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday urged his fellow leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to assert their centrality and unite against challenges, including dynamic tensions, being faced by the regional bloc.

In his intervention speeches at the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and Related Summits here, Marcos also pushed for the speedy implementation of the Five Point Consensus, which was agreed by ASEAN members in 2021 to stop violence in Myanmar and call for a dialogue among concerned parties.

Speaking before nine state leaders and representatives who gathered at Sokha Hotel, the President said “it is imperative that we reassert ASEAN Centrality” in the face of geopolitical dynamics and tensions in the region and the proliferation of Indo-Pacific engagements, including the requests of our Dialogue Partners for closer partnerships.

There is no representative from Myanmar in this year’s summits after its military government, who was only allowed to send a non-political representative, refused to send a delegation.

“ASEAN’s response to this is the forward-looking ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, with its essential element of ASEAN Centrality in the implementation of ASEAN-led mechanisms, projects, and initiatives for our Community Building efforts,” he said.

The President also recommended an enhancement of ASEAN solidarity as the bloc confronts challenges, such as natural disasters, health emergencies, armed conflicts and economic recessions.

Regarding the conflict in neighboring Myanmar, Marcos pressed its military government to abide by and implement five-point consensus as he noted the lack of development in the country for the past two years.

"While the Philippines adheres to the ASEAN principles of non-interference and consensus, the protracted suffering of the people in Myanmar, in part due to the lack of progress in the implementation of the Five Point Consensus, also challenges the ASEAN-honored principles of democracy and the respect for and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms enshrined in the ASEAN Charter," he said.

Direct engagement with the government and all stakeholders is vital to ending violence and addressing the crisis in Myanmar, Marcos said.

"This would include direct engagement with the military administration, but also with all other stakeholders, including the political opposition within the ASEAN framework towards the full implementation of the Five Point Consensus," Marcos said.

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary for ASEAN Affairs Daniel Espiritu said engagement does not necessarily mean a recognition of the junta as the legitimate government.

Although the country’s stand on Myanmar conflict has been the same, Espiritu said, Marcos just reiterated it before his fellow state leaders to ensure that all stakeholders are involved.

“If we’re calling on one side to stop the violence, but the other side just continues it, there will be no cessation of hostilities,” he told reporters in an interview.

To reinvigorate the economy after the Covid-19 crisis, Marcos is seeking to revitalize tourism recovery, energy cooperation, as well as trade and investment.

“We should enhance ASEAN food security cooperation through strengthened initiatives and expanded projects under the ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry and other related mechanisms, including those with our Dialogue Partners,” he said.

“We need to solidify our food resilience and promote food self-sufficiency, through the use of new agricultural technologies, in order to protect the region and our countries from shocks to the global food value chain, as well as against adverse effects of climate change," Marcos stressed.