Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
May 26, 2025

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. arrived at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre to participate in the 46th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

With the theme, ‘Inclusivity and Sustainability’, the 46th ASEAN Summit chaired by Malaysia reflects the aspiration for shared progress, ensuring that no one is left behind. It also underscores the Regional Bloc’s commitment to strengthening peace, stability and prosperity within an inclusive, sustainable and future-oriented framework.

According to Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia Maria Angela Ponce, the President’s attendance in the ASEAN Summit is poised to deepen the country’s relations with Malaysia. She said that the two nations enjoy robust relations based on mutual respect and strong cooperation in trade, security and people-to-people ties. Both remain guided by the close relations between their leaders, President Marcos Jr. and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and are committed to building on the momentum of the 60th anniversary of bilateral relations celebrated last year.

On the economic side, Malaysia was the Philippines’ 9th largest trading partner, the 11th largest export market and the 7th largest source of imports in 2024. It was also the 5th highest source of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) and the 10th largest source of tourism arrivals.

There is also a growing Filipino Community in Malaysia. According to the latest figures from the Embassy’s Migrant Workers Office (MWO), there are around 155,000 Filipinos in Malaysia to date, most of whom belong to the household service sector, and some are in the professional, semi-skilled and service industries.

The Filipino Community is also among the top contributors to the Philippines and Malaysia’s economy. The Ambassador reported that as per the latest data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), remittances of Filipino migrant workers in Malaysia totaled US$661.8 million last year.

“So you can see here the very strong economic relations and people-to-people ties between our countries. In ASEAN, of course, as co-founding members of ASEAN, we work closely together on ASEAN priorities and initiatives, including maintaining regional unity. So we see a very vibrant, very dynamic relationship, and I am certain that with the Summit, there will, of course, be deep engagement between the President and Prime Minister Anwar,” Ambassador Ponce said.

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