Foreign Affairs Secretary Tess Lazaro admitted that security challenges within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) not only remain, but are evolving and diversifying.

“Security challenges facing ASEAN have not only grown, but have also evolved and diversified. The global geopolitical security environment has not only become more challenging, but it has also become more complex and interconnected,” Lazaro said in her opening remarks during the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Retreat at the NUSTAR Resort and Casino in Cebu City on Thursday.

She acknowledged that across the ASEAN region, member countries continue to face tensions at sea, “protracted internal conflicts, and then resolve border and humanitarian concerns.”

“At the same time, developments beyond Southeast Asia, including unilateral actions that carry cross-regional implications, continue to affect regional stability and erode multilateral institutions and the rules-based international order. Taken together, these realities underscore the enduring importance of ASEAN’s time-honored principles of restraint, dialogue, and adherence to international law in seeking to preserve peace and stability among our peoples,” she added.

The retreat is set to discuss key matters in the regional bloc, including tensions in the West Philippine Sea involving China and the Philippines, the civil war in Myanmar, and the border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia.

This month, the Philippines began its 2026 ASEAN Chairship, with the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Retreat as the first major meeting under the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC) Pillar.

The retreat coincides with the ASEAN Tourism Forum in Mactan, Cebu.