‘We are on the Ilokano effect,’ said the First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos when asked about preparations for the ASEAN Summit in Cebu this May and the ASEAN Leaders’ Summit in November.
FIRST Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos was in a playful mood as she engaged with members of the Malacañang Press Corps at the Presidential Communications Office on Tuesday, 14 April 2026.
First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos said preparations for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will be done in a frugal way.
“We are on the Ilokano effect,” said Araneta Marcos on Tuesday when asked about preparations for the ASEAN Summit in Cebu this May and the ASEAN Leaders’ Summit in November.
Ilocanos are known to be frugal in their ways, especially when it comes to food and money.
Going down the stairs at the President Communications Office (PCO) at the Malacañang Complex, the First Lady did a playful “jumping jacks,” teasing members of the Malacañang Press Corps.
Recalibrated hosting of ASEAN 2026
To recall, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. who, on Monday also visited the PCO for a press briefing, said he had ordered a recalibrated Philippine hosting of ASEAN 2026, scaling down non-essential activities “to save on expenses and focus only on the most important.”
As part of this directive, approximately 650 preparatory meetings will now be conducted online.
The upcoming Leaders’ Summit in May will tackle urgent priorities, including energy security, food security, and migrant workers’ concerns.
‘Bare-bones’ format
It will proceed as an in-person meeting, but on a “very bare bones” format.
To implement the directive, the ASEAN National Organizing Council, chaired by Executive Secretary Raffy Recto, issued a 27 March memorandum directing the host agencies to conduct all preparatory meetings, from working groups to ministerial online.
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