ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider ASEAN adopts first charter amendment in nearly 20 years — Marcos

ASEAN adopts first charter amendment in nearly 20 years — Marcos

Published May 10, 2026 07:17 am  |  Updated May 10, 2026 01:59 pm

At A Glance

  • ASEAN leaders adopted the Cebu Protocol, amending the ASEAN Charter for the first time since 2007.
  • President Marcos said the amendment is a milestone for Timor-Leste's integration into ASEAN.
  • The President said the move also reflects ASEAN's evolution into a "stronger and more inclusive" regional bloc.
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. speaks during a press conference at the International Media Center following the conclusion of the 2026 ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings in Cebu City, on May 8, 2026. (Mark Balmores)
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. speaks during a press conference at the International Media Center following the conclusion of the 2026 ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings in Cebu City, on May 8, 2026. (Mark Balmores)

President Marcos has announced that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders adopted the Cebu Protocol amending the ASEAN Charter, marking the regional bloc’s first charter amendment since the document was established nearly two decades ago.

In a press conference in Cebu, the President described the development as a “significant outcome” of the summit hosted by the Philippines.

“Another significant outcome was the adoption of the Cebu Protocol to Amend the Charter of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations,” he said.

“This marks the first amendment to the ASEAN Charter since 2007,” he added.

The ASEAN Charter, signed in 2007, serves as the legal and institutional framework governing the regional organization.

Timor-Leste integration

According to Marcos, the amendment is closely tied to Timor-Leste’s integration into ASEAN as the bloc moves toward becoming more inclusive.

“It’s an important milestone not only for Timor-Leste’s full integration into ASEAN, but also for ASEAN’s continuing evolution as a stronger and more inclusive regional community,” the President said.

Timor-Leste officially became the 11th member state of ASEAN on Oct. 26, 2025, during the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The admission marks the culmination of a 14-year accession process since their application in 2011, making them the first new member to join the bloc since 1999.

Earlier during the summit, Timor-Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão attended high-level meetings with ASEAN leaders in Cebu.

The 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu focused heavily on regional cooperation involving energy security, food resilience, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, maritime security, and crisis response.

The Philippines is hosting the summit under the theme “Navigating Our Future, Together.”

Related Tags

President Marcos Bongbong Marcos ASEAN ASEAN Summit Timor Leste
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.