Komodo Airport
May 9, 2023

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., accompanied by First Lady Louise Araneta Marcos, arrived in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia to participate in the 42nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.

Ambassador Hjayceelyn Quintana, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to ASEAN, and Ambassador-designate Gina Jamoralin of the Philippine Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia welcomed the President and the First Lady at the Komodo Airport.

In his pre-departure statement, the Chief Executive outlined the agenda for his participation to the 42nd ASEAN Summit. Among his priorities are the promotion and protection of the country’s interests in areas of economic growth, food and energy security, trade and investments, combatting transnational crimes such as trafficking in persons and protection of migrant workers in crisis situations, among others.

Indonesia’s 2023 ASEAN Chairmanship comes at a period where the region is at the center of great power rivalries and multi-regional challenges. As such, bearing this year’s theme, ‘ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth,’ ASEAN Leaders will give focus on maintaining internal peace in Southeast Asia amid rising geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific region while strengthening ASEAN to become a fast-growing, inclusive and sustainable economic region.

On the sidelines of the 42nd ASEAN Summit, the President is set to participate in the 15th Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Summit with a goal of promoting economic development, strengthening connectivity and sustainably managing natural resources in the sub-region.

President Marcos Jr. is also slated to hold bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak of Timor-Leste, who is joining the Summit as an observer for the first time.

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