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ASEAN eyes stronger economic security, integration

Published Feb 25, 2026 01:55 pm
THE ASEAN meeting on economic and security opens in Iloilo City on Feb. 25, 2026. (Tara Yap)
THE ASEAN meeting on economic and security opens in Iloilo City on Feb. 25, 2026. (Tara Yap)
ILOILO CITY – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is exploring ways to strengthen economic integration and security.
“We want to enhance our economic relations and discuss current situation we are facing the trade detraction, the various economic policies imposed by other countries,” said Undersecretary Allan B. Gepty of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the host agency of the Feb. 25 to 27 ASEAN meetings in Iloilo City.
“We want to make sure that we have a common understanding on what economic security means for all of us,” he said.
The meeting opened on Wednesday, Feb. 25, with a roundtable on “ASEAN Economic Security: Context, Considerations, and Challenges.”
It will continue with the 49th High-Level Task Force on ASEAN Economic Integration on Thursday and Friday.
“The high-level task force on economic integration is tasked to provide guidance on how to move forward in our economic agenda and enhance our economic arrangements,” Gepty said.
Delegates from the governments of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam will discuss how to make the collective digital economy stronger despite global challenges.
Gepty said it is still important to make Southeast Asia a hub for the Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM).

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