President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will have a busy schedule as he chairs the 49th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits, which will run from November 15 to 17, a foreign affairs official said on Friday.

“We have a long and busy week ahead of us, but it is one that we look forward to undertaking with all of you,” Foreign Affairs Executive Director Dominic Xavier Imperial said in a press briefing at the newly opened International Media Center (IMC) in World Trade Center.

Imperial, the Deputy Director-General and ASEAN 2026 Spokesperson, said the program starts on November 15 with the opening ceremony, followed by the Plenary and Retreat Sessions of the Leaders, and will culminate with the interface meetings with the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ABAC), and ASEAN Youth.

The Plus One Summits are scheduled for November 16 and will continue until November 17, in which the ASEAN Leaders will engage with Dialogue Partners, particularly Australia, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, United Nations, and the United States of America.

On November 17, Marcos will convene the 29th ASEAN Plus Three Summit and the 21st East Asia Summit (EAS), which seek to advance practical cooperation and constructive dialogue in addressing shared regional and global challenges, particularly amid evolving geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainties.

At the closing rites, the Philippines will hand over the ASEAN Chairship to Singapore. The day will then culminate with the ASEAN-US Special Summit.

But prior to the leaders’ meetings, Imperial said that in preparation for the 49th ASEAN Summit, Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro, will convene the ASEAN Foreign Ministers on November 14 for their final meeting this year.

High on the agenda, Imperial said, will be the ASEAN Leaders’ Review and Decision on the Implementation of the Five-Point Consensus, the adoption of the Concept Note and Terms of Reference of the planned establishment of an ASEAN Maritime Centre, and transboundary haze, among others.

The foreign ministers will also convene for the 32nd ASEAN Political-Security Community Council Meeting to be followed by the 39th ASEAN Coordinating Council Meeting also chaired by Lazaro.

The meeting will discuss the preparations for the 49th ASEAN Summit and the consideration of various reports from the three community pillars that are important to shape the agenda of the Leaders who will participate in the summit. Presidential News Desk