Delivering a keynote address in South Jakarta at an event hosted by the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI), Philippine Foreign Minister Theresa P. Lazaro said Manila’s three ASEAN priorities this year include strengthening regional supply chain resilience and deepening economic integration, both set to take center stage at next month’s 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu. 

“The crisis in the Middle East may feel geographically distant, but its tremors are felt at every gas station in Manila and every marketplace here in Jakarta. We are learning, painfully, that no island is truly an island,” Lazaro said on Thursday.  

“If a crisis hits, the flow of food, fertilizers and energy must remain uninterrupted among us [...] These vital consultations will drive the agenda for the 48th ASEAN Summit,” she continued. 

Concrete steps toward these goals are already underway, Lazaro said. Two special ASEAN foreign ministers’ emergency meetings in March and April were convened to forge “a proactive and cohesive response”, she explained, laying the groundwork for dialogue ahead of May’s leaders-level meeting. 

Lazaro acknowledged the crisis would have uneven impacts across ASEAN, with differences likely shaped by member states’ geopolitical alignments, but expressed confidence that the bloc could still reach a unified position. 

“Each and every of our 11 members have their own affiliations, have their own views,” Lazaro said separately to reporters, “however, when there is a regional meeting, especially at the highest level, there’s always a cohesive understanding of many issues. [...] I’m sure that the leader’s statement will be one in their discussion.”

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