President Marcos has assured the Filipino people that his administration will continue serving the Philippines' highest interests as the country commits to maintain constructive engagement with regional partners, particularly with Japan and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

His promise came as he arrived on Monday night in Manila after engaging with his counterparts from ASEAN in talks with Japan about strengthening their regional alliance.

There were various topics that Marcos and other leaders discussed during the four-day ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit that started on December 15.

Marcos said these included both sides' role in maintaining peace and security in the Indo-Pacific; the importance of advocating a rules-based order; the need to promote respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity; and the call to alleviate the worsening situation in Myanmar.

Leaders also talked about Japan and ASEAN members' efforts to achieve their shared commitments in the spheres of peace and security, trade and investment, food security, climate action, energy security, supply chain resilience, infrastructure development, and connectivity, he said.

In fact, the role of each country has progressed in the past five decades, Marcos added.

"The summit highlighted Japan's commitment to promoting friendship and camaraderie amongst the peoples of ASEAN in Japan through various initiatives," the President said in his pre-recorded arrival speech.

At the sidelines of the summit, Marcos also had various activities to advance the Philippines' interest.

Some of the activities included the signing of nine new letters of intent as well as memoranda of understanding—which are altogether valued at P14.5 billion—and the delivery of a keynote speech to showcase the Filipino-Japanese collaborative projects.

"I’m also pleased to update that the letters of intent and MOUs signed in February 2023, together with those signed during this visit, total now 771.6 billion pesos or approximately 14 billion dollars in pledges from Japanese investors," he said.

"This significant investment is anticipated to create around 40,200 jobs, marking a positive and promising development for our collaborative efforts," he added.

Marcos said his administration "will see to it that our constructive engagements with ASEAN, our external partners, our stakeholders continue to best serve our national interest in as much as we promote the regional interest of peace and prosperity for the wellbeing of our people."

"Without a doubt, this summit reaffirmed the robust and enduring character of ASEAN-Japan relations," he added.

The commemorative summit was held for the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Japan relations.