By Darryl John Esguerra | Philippine News Agency
The Office of the President (OP) will receive an additional P5.2 billion in its 2025 budget in preparation for the Philippine hosting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in 2026, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said Monday.
Bersamin issued the statement in defense of criticisms that the OP received a higher budget allocation after the bicameral conference committee.
“That’s a very important part of our international relations,” Bersamin said in a press briefing in Malacañang shortly after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
During the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta last year, Marcos accepted the regional bloc’s request to be the ASEAN chair in 2026, or a year earlier than scheduled, after Myanmar withdrew its chairmanship.
The ASEAN chair is responsible not just for the leaders-level summits but all the other gatherings for the bloc.
“So, ASEAN 2026 will be hosted by the Philippines, we need to start the work now. So humingi kami after the submission of the NEP (National Expenditure Plan). Humingi kami sa Congress ng supplemental funds in addition to what we proposed for the OP sa NEP to the tune of P5.2 billion for 2025,” Bersamin said.
“After 2025, we will ask for more, bigger, but that will be in the NEP that will be submitted in 2025 for 2026,” he added.
Marcos named Bersamin as the ASEAN National Organizing Committee Chairperson in preparation for the country’s hosting of the annual gathering.