ASEANEWS HEADLINE – 47TH ASEAN SUMMIT – ASIA GEOPOLITICS | KUALA LUMPUR: Philippines-PH takes over ASEAN Chairmanship
47th ASEAN Summit officially closes; Malaysia hands over chairmanship to PH | GMA Integrated
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – The Philippines officially took over chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Tuesday, October 28, at the end of the 47th ASEAN Summit.Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, chair of the bloc for the whole of 2025, ceremonially handed over the role to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, where ASEAN leaders and the bloc’s dialogue partners have been meeting the past three days to talk about peace and security, trade, development, and environmental protection, among others.
“In today’s world where constancy is a rare virtue, Shakespeare warns us against being passion’s slave and urges us that we should be governed by reason…. That must be ASEAN’s way if we are to endure,” Anwar said in his speech.
“We also take quiet satisfaction in seeing conversations unfold among partners and powers beyond these walls. We revived dialogues, built new bridges, and proved that ASEAN’s machinery, when guided by patience and reason, still works,” he added.
“To my friend, Bongbong, good luck,” Anwar also said, addressing Marcos by his nickname. “As you assume this responsibility, I have every confidence that under your steady hand, ASEAN will continue to act with clarity, composure, and that warmth and poise for which the Filipino people are known. As Jose Rizal wrote in El Filibusterismo, it is a useless life that is not consecrated to a great ideal.”
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Marcos thanked Anwar in his remarks, saying that “Malaysia steered ASEAN with clarity and conviction,” and that the Philippines is “committed to carrying forward [its] momentum.”
Chairmanship means that for the entire 2026, the Philippines will be host to hundreds of meetings and events, from working group huddles all the way up to the 48th and 49th ASEAN summits which will bring together leaders from the bloc and their dialogue partners.
Beyond the complex logistics of hosting, being ASEAN chairman means the Philippines will be the one steering regional discussions for an entire year.
“We also take quiet satisfaction in seeing conversations unfold among partners and powers beyond these walls. We revived dialogues, built new bridges, and proved that ASEAN’s machinery, when guided by patience and reason, still works,” he added.
“To my friend, Bongbong, good luck,” Anwar also said, addressing Marcos by his nickname. “As you assume this responsibility, I have every confidence that under your steady hand, ASEAN will continue to act with clarity, composure, and that warmth and poise for which the Filipino people are known. As Jose Rizal wrote in El Filibusterismo, it is a useless life that is not consecrated to a great ideal.”
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“ASEAN is our ship, and 2026 will be the year when we set full sail together toward our shared horizon. Guided by the theme ‘Navigating Our Future, Together,’ the Philippines will continue to fortify our peace and security anchors, strengthen our prosperity corridors, and advance people empowerment. These main priorities will serve as our compass,” Marcos told his fellow ASEAN leaders.
“Our goal is not to diverge from past chairships but to build upon the collective work of our predecessors,” he also said.
In addition, Marcos promised to help in the further integration of ASEAN’s newest member Timor-Leste into the bloc.
The Philippines is allocating over P17.5 billion for hosting duties in 2026, on top of some P5.4 billion it allocated in 2025 to prepare for ASEAN chairmanship.
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