DFA chief leads ASEAN aid mission to Myanmar

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed Wednesday that Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro will lead a humanitarian mission to Myanmar to deliver assistance to displaced and disaster-affected communities.

Lazaro, who also serves as the ASEAN chair's special envoy on Myanmar, will lead the ASEAN Monitoring Team mission in coordination with the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre).

The mission, involving representatives of ASEAN diplomatic missions and Japan based in Yangon, will visit designated sites in Taunggyi, Southern Shan State, on Wednesday.

It will launch a monthlong distribution of humanitarian assistance to communities in Kayin State and Southern and Northern Shan states, particularly areas previously unreached by the AHA Centre.

Working with the Myanmar Red Cross Society, the AHA Centre will continue distributing food and essential supplies through November.

The DFA said the operation is expected to benefit more than 11,000 households through the distribution of 50-kilogram bags of rice, family kits and personal hygiene kits.

Lazaro will also lead the symbolic handover of a religious building and distribute school kits to prefabricated school buildings constructed with Philippine contributions following the devastating 2025 earthquake in central Myanmar.

The DFA said the Philippines has prioritized humanitarian assistance to Myanmar under its 2026 ASEAN chairmanship.

Asked whether Lazaro would meet detained former Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi during the mission, the DFA said it had no details on any possible meeting.