President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced Friday, March 27, that the Philippines will push through with hosting the 2026 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit from May 7-8, but the meeting will be scaled down to a “bare-bones” programme.

Speaking in an ambush interview in Cavite, Marcos said the summit will concentrate on critical issues stemming from the ongoing Middle East conflict, including oil supplies, food prices, and the welfare of migrant workers.

“Tuloy tayo sa May 7, May 8, but as I said, it will be a very bare-bones summit, which will focus very closely on those three subject matters, oil, food, and migrant workers,“ Marcos said.

“It is precisely now that we must coordinate our efforts so that is what we are going to do. Ipagpapatuloy natin ‘yung ating ASEAN summit ngunit…the way that we describe it that we have it is a bare bones ASEAN Summit,” he reiterated.

The President explained that the summit would last about a day and a half, instead of the usual extended programme.

Marcos said he had consulted with other ASEAN member states, who agreed that the summit should proceed despite global uncertainties triggered by the US-Israeli tensions and their ripple effects in the Middle East.

He emphasized the importance of ASEAN leaders discussing coordinated responses to ongoing crises.

The Philippines is set to host the regional bloc’s top officials amid rising concerns over global energy and food security.