By Brian Campued
The Philippines’ hosting of the 48th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Cebu in May will push through amid current political issues in the country, Malacañang said Thursday.
According to Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, who also serves as chair of the ASEAN National Organizing Committee, confirmed to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. that preparations for the ASEAN Summit remain on track.
“All systems go po, so handa po tayo,” Castro said in a press briefing.
Marcos previously said the summit would be conducted in a “very bare-bones” manner due to the challenges caused by the Middle East crisis. He stressed that he and his fellow Southeast Asian leaders have agreed to focus on key issues such as energy supply, food security, and migrant workers.
The Philippines will host the biannual summit this year, the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu this May and the 49th ASEAN Summit in Manila this November.
With the latest developments concerning key government officials, particularly Vice President Sara Duterte and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, the Palace assured that the Philippines’ hosting of the ASEAN Summit will not be affected by political issues.
“Katulad ng sinabi natin, handa po tayo sa ASEAN Summit sa pagiging host natin at kung anuman po ang kinasasangkutan ng Bise Presidente… at dating Speaker Martin Romualdez, hindi po ito makakaapekto sa Pangulo,” Castro said.
During the same briefing, Castro was asked for comment following Romualdez’s remarks, saying that the “command responsibility” over alleged anomalies in the 2025 national budget falls on the executive instead of the legislative branch of the government.
Castro said that Marcos does not feel alluded to or blamed by his cousin, stressing that the President himself ordered the investigations after anomalies were flagged and established the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to ensure impartiality.
“Ano po ba ang mandato ng isang Presidente, hindi po ba linisin ang mga anomalya sa gobyerno kahit tamaan na ang kaniyang administrasyon?” she said.
“So, ang ibig sabihin po nito, kung nakita niya, being the President, mayroon siyang obligasyon na paimbestigahan ito at linisin ang kalat na nangyayari sa kaniyang administrasyon kung mayroon man.”
-av
