First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the men and women who organized the historic 48th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings in Mactan, Cebu, held from  6 to 8 May.

On Wednesday, Mrs. Marcos conducted a final walkthrough at Mactan Expo Center to ensure that all preparations were in order.

“After months of planning and preparation, it was truly fulfilling to see everything come together. From the venue setup to the cultural performances prepared for our guests, every detail was thoughtfully arranged to give our ASEAN guests a warm and meaningful Filipino experience,” she wrote on her official Facebook page.

The First Lady has taken a hands-on role in overseeing the preparations for the 48th ASEAN Summit, focusing on venue inspections, logistical planning, and ensuring that the delegates will have a warm Filipino experience.

Profuse gratitude

“Very grateful to everyone who worked tirelessly behind the scenes — the organizers, staff, performers, and volunteers — whose hard work and heart made all of this possible,” she said.

On Friday, during the official opening of the ASEAN Summit, she joined President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.in welcoming the ASEAN leaders and their wives.

In his welcome remarks, the President said Cebu has achieved historic milestones, such as the birth of Philippine international connectivity, the introduction of a lasting spiritual and cultural heritage, and the beginnings of a major regional hub.

“It is especially meaningful that we gather in this historic place. As a pre-colonial trading hub, the historic province of Cebu has served as a gateway to our beautiful country. Long before our modern borders existed, Cebu already stood as a crossroads of trade, ideas, and peoples,” the Chief Executive said.

He said Cebu stood witness to regional advancements that made ASEAN what it is today, and it played a vital role in shaping the country’s history.

“Twenty years ago, within these very grounds, leaders of our region signed the Cebu Declaration on the Blueprint of the ASEAN Charter, which marked significant progress in transforming ASEAN’s cooperation framework into a stronger, more coherent institutional architecture, laying the essential groundwork for the eventual signing of the ASEAN Charter in 2007,” Mr. Marcos said.

And for the 48th ASEAN Summit, the region once again played a role in rallying itself towards a shared future.

“It is therefore a fitting place for our summit, providing us with a valuable opportunity to advance regional cooperation, economic resilience, and sustainability under the Philippine Chairship anchored on the theme, ‘Navigating Our Future, Together.’ We once more find ourselves here in Cebu at a defining moment in our shared journey,” the President  said.

The summit in Cebu is taking center stage as the ASEAN member states gather amid the Middle East crisis, which has impacted global supply chains.

Before the summit, ministerial meetings were held to refocus the agenda for the Leaders’ Summit, with an emphasis on energy security, food security, and the safety of ASEAN nationals.

While each ASEAN member state faces its own challenges, President Marcos expressed his gratitude to them  for taking the time to discuss the region’s future.

“My appreciation extends to ASEAN and our regional partners, because despite facing deep challenges of your own, you have come to support us and to work with us to respond to this crisis,” he said.

“If there is one lesson ASEAN has learned over the decades, it is that difficult times do not divide us,”  he added.