JAKARTA, Indonesia – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday underscored the strength of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as a regional organization and its commitment to regional integration.

In his intervention at the 43rd ASEAN Summit and related summits here, Marcos Jr. said that ASEAN is poised to improve its macroeconomic fundamentals in the face of a prolonged geopolitical and socio-economic challenge.

"With a projected growth rate of 4.9 percent next year and a steady rise in intra-ASEAN trade and foreign direct investment inflows, ASEAN is well-positioned to weather the storm," he said.

Marcos Jr. also reiterated the Philippines' commitment to maintaining ASEAN as a competitive and integrated regional economy.

He told the leaders that his administration's integration efforts include facilitating a rules-based multilateral trading system that is "open, free, and fair."

Marcos Jr. also called for more concerted efforts to address the impact of climate change, which he said is the most urgent threat to ASEAN's progress.

"At the upcoming UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), ASEAN must call on developed countries to heighten the implementation of their commitments," he said.

"Their commitments that include climate finance, technology development and transfer, and capacity building, in order to drive ASEAN's capabilities to prevent, mitigate, manage, and adapt to the impacts of climate change," he added.

The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, more commonly referred to as COP28, will be the 28th United Nations Climate Change conference from November 30 until December 12, 2023, at the Expo City, Dubai.

Marcos Jr. also announced that the Philippines is ready to take the helm and chair ASEAN in 2026.

"We will fortify the foundations of our Community-building and navigate ASEAN as it embarks on a new chapter," he said.

"We will count on the support of fellow Member States and continue to work with our partners to strengthen ASEAN Centrality, and to promote peace, security, stability, and prosperity in the region," he added.

During the 43rd ASEAN Summit opening remarks earlier, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said that the regional bloc must work harder, become more solid, bolder, and more agile in order to achieve its goal of becoming an "epicentrum of growth."

He also called for the development of a long-term technical plan that is relevant and in line with the hopes of the people, not only for the next five years but for the next 20 years until 2045.

Widodo also stressed the importance of ASEAN centrality, saying that the bloc must be the "primary driving force" in shaping the region's external relations.

He said that ASEAN must work with other partners in the Indo-Pacific region to promote peace, stability, and prosperity.

"ASEAN is a large ship, and we have a major responsibility towards the hundreds of millions of people who are sailing together on it," Widodo said. "Despite having to sail through a storm, we as ASEAN leaders must ensure that this ship can continue to sail."

In addition to the ASEAN leaders, the summit will also be attended by representatives from dialogue partners, including the United States, China, Japan, India, and Australia.