PH calls for clarity, decisiveness, unity for ASEAN to surmount challenges
In a similar statement, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro rallied for ASEAN unity to weather current challenges as it did in the past.
Official handout
ASEAN CMASC | May 8, 2026
Clarity, decisiveness, and unity in action will empower the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and its 11 member-states to surmount the challenges they now face individually and as a strong regional bloc.
The Secretaries of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) convened a joint Ministers’ meeting in Cebu, Thursday, ahead of the 48th ASEAN Summit, rallying their regional counterparts toward stronger cooperation and more effective coordination not only in delivering programs but addressing the impact of developments in other parts of the globe.
“If we act together, we reinforce stability. If we act decisively, we strengthen confidence. And if we focus on implementation, we deliver results our people can feel,” said Philippine Trade Secretary Cristina Roque in her opening statement.
Roque said ASEAN “should focus on a few clear priorities: strengthening coordination to stabilize energy supply and manage price pressures, addressing risks to food security and supply-chain disruptions early and ensuring that businesses, particularly the MSMEs, are supported so they can continue to operate and to grow.”
Thursday’s session is both timely and necessary especially in the midst of the developments in the Middle East that have shown how quickly external shocks can reshape the region, she noted.
The Middle East crisis, the trade chief said, is now affecting energy prices, supply chains, and economic conditions across ASEAN, a reminder that the region’s economies and vulnerabilities are closely linked.
In a similar statement, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro rallied for ASEAN unity to weather current challenges as it did in the past.
The Philippines, Lazaro said, stands ready to work closely with all ASEAN member states and the ASEAN Secretariat in collectively pursuing decisive actions and concrete measures to address the immediate challenges facing the ASEAN.
“As we have witnessed in the past, ASEAN has weathered many types of crises, whether ... natural disasters, financial meltdowns or even a once-in-a-generation pandemic by leaning into our values of coordination, openness, and unity to prioritize support for each other,” said Lazaro.
“Our region has proven that we can go further and attain more together rather than as individual member states.”
At the 48th ASEAN Summit this Friday, the bloc will focus on the most urgent priorities of addressing energy and food security, and safety of ASEAN nationals, she said.
The ASEAN looks to issuing a Leaders’ statement in response to the Middle East crisis, which expresses not just a unified position, but also the foundation for the group’s response to future crises, Lazaro added.