Additional P5B for hosting ASEAN 2026 requested in budget — Bersamin

The Office of the President (OP) has requested an additional P5.2 billion in the 2025 national budget to prepare for the Philippines’ hosting of the ASEAN Summit in 2026.

According to Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, the request was made after the submission of the National Expenditure Program (NEP).

“Yes, as far as the budget of the OP is concerned, NEP was followed but P5.2 billion was added. ASEAN 2026 would have been done in Myanmar but it backed out from hosting the ASEAN as heads of states do not want to go there because of the problem in Myanmar,” he said.

As the Philippines was next in line in the alphabetical rotation of hosting duties, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. assumed the responsibility.

Bersamin emphasized that the ASEAN Summit is a vital part of the Philippines’ international relations and should not proceed without a host.

“So, ASEAN 2026, to be hosted by the Philippines, we needed to start the work now. So after the submission of the NEP, we asked Congress for supplemental funds in addition to what we proposed for the OP in the NEP to the tune of P5.2 billion for 2025,” he said.

He added that hosting is a “very gargantuan task” as it highlights Philippine politics, leadership, and social conditions.

Bersamin estimated that the Philippines may need P22 billion for the preparations.

The government is considering the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) as the venue for ASEAN 2026.

“The PICC is owned by the Bangko Sentral [ng Pilipinas], using it does not need to go through Congress. We will just pay rent to them,” he explained.

After 2025, the OP plans to request additional funds for ASEAN 2026 in the NEP that will be submitted in 2025 for Fiscal Year 2026.

Bersamin pointed out that the ASEAN Summit requires extensive preparation, often taking up to two years before the event.

The Philippines last hosted delegates and heads of state for the ASEAN Summit in 2017.