Singapore vows to support PH chairmanship of Asean

Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong gives a statement during a joint press conference with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at Malacañang Palace in Manila on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. — Photo from PPA Pool

MANILA, Philippines — Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong vowed to support the Philippines in its chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in 2026.

Wong made the pronouncement during a joint statement following a bilateral meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Malacañang on Tuesday.

READ: Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong arrives in Malacañang

According to Wong, he and Marcos during their meeting agreed to “work closely together” as both the Philippines and Singapore share a common interest in preserving Asean’s centrality and unity as its founding members.

“This will be critical in accelerating the integration of the region and enabling us to unlock the full potential of Asean. It will also enable Asean to better engage our external partners like the GOC countries or the EU,” said Wong.

“So the Philippines can count on Singapore’s full support for its Asean chairmanship next year — and we will coordinate closely because Singapore takes over from the Philippines the Asean chairmanship the following year,” he added.

Wong then said that he looks forward to partnering with Marcos in charting the next phase of the Philippines and Singapore’s bilateral relationship.

Marcos, for his part, said he and Wong had discussed the results of the recently held Asean Summit in Malaysia, exchanging views on what the two nations can do to make the Asean community stronger.

“Bound by our shared commitment to free trade and the value of multilateralism, we each elaborated on how we hope to achieve Asean 2045, a vision of a resilient and inclusive regional community,” said Marcos.

Wong and his wife are in the country for a two-day state visit, marking Wong’s introductory trip to the Philippines.

Wong’s visit is also the first by a Singaporean Prime Minister to the Philippines since 2017. /das