Timor-Leste PM tours Cebu City following ASEAN Summit
Published May 9, 2026 04:45 pm
TIMOR-LESTE Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão (seventh from left) is flanked by Cebu City officials during his visit on Saturday, May 9. (Photo via Calvin Cordova)
CEBU CITY – Timor-Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão toured this city a day after the 48th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Leaders’ Summit concluded.
Gusmão was welcomed by Mayor Nestor Archival, Vice Mayor Tomas Osmena, and other officials when he visited the Cebu City Hall on Saturday, May 9.
Gusmão toured some of the city’s historical sites, including Fort San Pedro and the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebu.
Gusmão, one of the 11 heads of state who attended the summit, said he would certainly promote the city in Timor-Leste.
“Of course. This is the first time that I came to Cebu. It is an honor to be here in Cebu,” he told reporters.
In Fort San Pedro, Gusmão reflected on the historical ties shared by the Philippines and Timor-Leste through Spanish and Portuguese colonial influence.
“We can look at the past, how this was made,” Gusmão said.
The 79-year-old Gusmão was in high spirits during the tour, saying he enjoyed touring around the city. “My reaction is Cebu is so hot,” he quipped.
Gusmão also talked about Timor-Leste’s status as a member of the ASEAN.
According to him, Timor-Leste became an official ASEAN member in October 2025 but acknowledged that there is still more work to be done toward full integration into the regional bloc.
“We are a member of ASEAN starting October 2025, but we are not yet very full because we need to accomplish many, many works,” he said.
As the newest ASEAN member, Gusmão emphasized the importance of regional solidarity amid global instability.
“We are enjoying seeing ASEAN members because we are living in a very, very unsettling situation. If you’re united, (you will) be able to resist through all of these crises,” Gusmão said.
Archival disclosed he and the ambassador for Timor-Leste in the country discussed possible areas of collaboration and benchmarking, particularly in tourism development.
“Cebu, as you know, is focusing on religious tourism as one of the key areas we are developing. I told him that Cebu City is the cradle of Christianity in Asia,” Archival said.
Archival said potential areas of cooperation include agriculture, particularly in exploring technologies that could help improve crop resilience and sustainability.
•