ASEAN summit to go ahead in May, but shortened to ‘bare bones’ program due to Middle East conflict

MANILA: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said ​on Friday that the ASEAN Leaders’ summit will go ahead in May, but will be shortened ‌to a “bare-bones” ‌program ​that ‌focuses ⁠on ​addressing issues ⁠like fuel supplies, food prices and migrant workers.

Marcos said he has consulted ⁠with his counterparts ‌in ‌the regional bloc ​and ‌asked them whether ‌they preferred to postpone the ASEAN summit due to the conflict ‌in the Middle East.

“The consensus ⁠that ⁠we came to is that it is precisely now that we must coordinate our efforts,” Marcos told reporters.