By Brian Campued
The Philippines is all set to host the 48th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Meetings in Cebu later this week with the opening of the International Media Center (IMC) on Tuesday.
In a press conference at the IMC in Lapu-Lapu City, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Dave Gomez underscored the vital role of the foreign and local media in telling the public how ASEAN is responding to the various challenges caused by the Middle East tensions and other global issues that have affected the region.
The IMC will serve as the central hub for both local and foreign media covering the high-level meetings, equipped with broadcast and technical support facilities, workstations, and briefing rooms to support real-time coverage.
“The purpose of this center is straightforward: to help you get the story out,” Gomez said. “Through your reporting, the world will understand the outcomes on regional peace and security, economic integration, sustainable development, and our shared commitment to ‘Navigating Our Future, Together’.”
ASEAN National Organizing Committee Director-General Ma. Hellen De La Vega, for her part, laid out the schedule of activities for the 48th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings, beginning with a series of senior officials and ministerial preparatory meetings that will be held on May 6–7.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., together with leaders of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, and Malaysia, will then meet for the Special Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Summit on May 7.
On May 8, Marcos will join his fellow leaders of ASEAN member states for the opening of the biannual summit, followed by meetings and working lunch and a retreat session. During the afternoon, the President will hold a press conference while a gala dinner hosted by the First Couple will cap the summit.
As Marcos called for a scaled-down, “bare-bones” summit due to energy constraints and global uncertainty, Gomez said the ASEAN leaders have refocused the agenda to include discussions on energy security and a unified response to mitigate negative effects on individual member states, as well as disaster resilience.
De La Vega also said that austerity measures in line with the declaration of a state of energy emergency in the country resulted in a more “business-like” summit—focused on essential discussions rather than ceremonial elements.
“Upon consultations with the ASEAN member states, it was actually agreed that the current situation all the more calls for the need for the leaders to meet face to face to discuss important measures and mechanisms that address pressing issues such as the Middle East conflict and the resulting energy crisis,” she said.
“We assure you that our ASEAN hosting is responsive to the evolving dynamics of our region and the world,” she added.
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