President Marcos has called for deeper cooperation in a bid to restore the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' (ASEAN) position as a global economic driver.

Marcos, during the ASEAN Editors and Economic Opinion Leaders Forum in Makati City, said ASEAN centrality must remain at the core of the regional bloc’s strategy for economic resurgence.

“I think we share the aspiration, all member states share the aspiration that ASEAN should return to its old role of being an economic, a global economic driver. That happened in 2019, that's where we were, and we need to return to that,” the President said during the special session fireside chat at the ASEAN forum on Tuesday, Feb. 24.

The President emphasized that there must be recognition, understanding, and a firm commitment among all 11 member states to work as one cohesive region while respecting national differences.

He explained that unity does not require uniformity, noting that ASEAN countries differ in their economies, population size, and levels of development.

Despite differences, the President said, the shared aspiration to reassert ASEAN’s leadership in the global economy binds the region together.

“That joint and shared aspiration of returning to that role in the global community is something that we hold in our hearts together,” the President said.

“Even achieving that will be done in many different ways, depending on which country you are talking about. But we have to do it in consonance with one another so that we achieve our own national goals and at the same time achieve the goals that we have for ASEAN.”

The President noted that intra-ASEAN trade currently accounts for only around 23 percent of the region’s total trade, with the remaining 77 percent conducted outside the bloc.

Expanding intra-regional commerce, Marcos said, would significantly enhance ASEAN’s resilience and competitiveness, positioning the region to reclaim its standing as a major force in the global economy.

He cited ongoing efforts to advance initiatives such as a common ASEAN grid and greater coordination among regulatory agencies to standardize importation procedures and improve cross-border business processes.

“We understand how – what the laws are, and we understand what part each country will play if we try to achieve what we try to aspire for, which is to return as a global force in the global economy,” the President said.

The ASEAN Editors and Economic Opinion Leaders Forum is the first major high-level event of the Philippines’ ASEAN 2026 chairmanship.

It convened senior policymakers, business leaders, economists, researchers, ASEAN  officials, representatives of member states’ economic ministries, and media partners to discuss priority sectors, inclusive business, and the media’s role in explaining ASEAN and its future to the public.