After his trips to Washington, DC, and London, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is set to head to Labuan Bajo in Indonesia on Tuesday, May 9, for the 42nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, where he will be pushing for food and energy security.

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In addition, Marcos will stress the importance of demonstrating ASEAN's centrality in the region.

In a press briefing last month, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said that the President is expected to advance the Philippines' priorities in the regional bloc through regional and multilateral cooperation in various areas, including:

• Long-term food and energy security
• Efforts toward economic recovery
• Combatting transnational crimes
• Upgrading of technical and vocational education and training
• Adopting climate and disaster-resilient technologies and transitioning to renewable and alternative energy technologies
• Protection of migrant workers
  
  

President Marcos' participation in the Summit, along with leaders of ASEAN member-states, is upon the invitation of Indonesia President Joko Widodo as this year's ASEAN chair with the theme: "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth."

The ASEAN Summit provides a platform for ASEAN leaders to discuss and exchange views on key regional issues, build consensus on matters of mutual interest, and provide policy directions on ASEAN community-building efforts.

Marcos has just finished his four-day official working visit to Washington, DC, and his attendance at the coronation of King Charles III in London.

Concrete results

Indonesian Foreign Affairs Retno L. P. Marsudi Minister has ensured that the three pillars of his country's chairmanship will produce concrete results and can be implemented by every Member State in the long term.

"Indonesia's chairmanship in ASEAN will be used to lay a strong foundation for the long-term vision of ASEAN post-2025," Retno said.

"It's important to do to prepare ASEAN to face long-term challenges. This is where it's necessary to strengthen capacity and institutions so that ASEAN becomes more agile," she added.

The three main pillars in the Indonesian chairmanship are ASEAN Matters, the Epicentrum of Growth, and the Implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific (AOIP).

The first pillar dictates how Indonesia will lead Member States to make ASEAN resilient to various challenges and become the motor for maintaining world stability and peace.

For the second pillar, Indonesia will maintain and strengthen the concrete cooperation of Member States so that the regional community will benefit from it.

Lastly, the third pillar is building concrete and open cooperation with all countries to make the Indo-Pacific a peaceful and prosperous region.

The DFA has said that some 16 outcome documents are targeted to be issued, adopted, or noted during or after the meetings.

Summit affairs

According to the DFA, the 42nd ASEAN Summit will be held on the morning of May 10. The Plenary Session will be followed by a series of interfaces among ASEAN leaders and representatives or delegates of relevant ASEAN bodies.

The ASEAN leaders will hold interfaces with the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), the ASEAN Youth Representatives, ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC), and the High-Level Task Force on the ASEAN Community's Post-2025 Vision.

The ASEAN leaders are also expected to adopt a roadmap on Timor Leste's full membership in ASEAN at the Summit after the country applied for membership at the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summit in 2022

The Prime Minister of Timor Leste, Taur Matan Ruak, is expected to attend the 42nd ASEAN Summit as an observer for the first time.

Meanwhile, President Marcos will also participate in the 15th Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Summit to be convened on May 11 under the chairmanship of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Preparations

Meanwhile, Labuan Bajo, the island where the Summit will take place, ensured that it was prepared for the conduct of the event. Indonesia's Communications and Informatics Minister Johnny G. Plate said good quality telecommunication access and internet network supported by telcos were ready.

The Indonesian National Police (Polri) and the people of Labuan Bajo likewise declared their commitment to supporting and ensuring the success of the 42nd ASEAN Summit.

In a written statement, Police Commissioner General Muhammad Fadil Imran said residents of Labuan Bajo were fully aware that this event must be a success because it "involves the nation's honor and proves to the world that this region is safe and worth visiting."

Indonesia's Ministry of Transportation likewise ensured that Komodo Airport was ready for operations of landing and takeoffs for aircraft transporting delegates of the 42nd ASEAN Summit.