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Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr attends the 25th ASEAN-South Korea Summit during the 44th and 45th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summits in Vientiane on October 10, 2024.
AFP / Nhac Nguyen
MANILA, Philippines — Following a major Cabinet shakeup, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is set to travel to Malaysia from May 26 to 27 for the ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council Summit.
At a Palace briefing on Thursday, May 22, Dominic Xavier Imperial, deputy assistant secretary at the Department of Foreign Affairs, announced the president’s short trip.
On the agenda. Marcos is scheduled to participate in nine high-level engagements during the ASEAN summit. These include the Plenary Session, the Retreat Session, three interface meetings with parliamentarians, the ASEAN Business Advisory Council, and the ASEAN Youth.
A signing ceremony for the Kuala Lumpur Declaration is also on the agenda.
Malaysia currently holds the ASEAN chairmanship for 2025, with the Philippines slated to assume the role in 2026.
Marcos is expected to "uphold and promote Philippine interests" at the summit, especially in issues of regional security and stability and economic cooperation, Xavier said.
"The president will continue to underscore the Philippines’ sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in accordance with international law including the 1982 UNCLOS and the 2016 arbitral award,” he added.
A total of 22 documents are expected to be signed and adopted during the summits, including the Kuala Lumpur Declaration.
Pending matters. Marcos’ trip to Malaysia was announced as he ordered all Cabinet officials to submit courtesy resignations. The move was prompted by his senatorial slate’s poor performance in the 2025 midterm polls.
The president typically appoints the vice president or a senior secretary as caretaker while he is abroad. However, with his relationship with Vice President Sara Duterte strained and the tenure of his secretaries in question, it is uncertain whom Marcos will entrust as caretaker of the Philippines during his absence.
