PRESS RELEASE | PR-196-2025
SINGAPORE, 8 August 2025 – The Philippine Embassy in Singapore greets our ASEAN brothers and sisters a happy 58th ASEAN Day today, 8 August 2025.
The Philippines, one of the five founding members of ASEAN, remains committed to promoting peace, security and prosperity in the region. The Philippines joins other ASEAN member states as One Community, in enhancing multilateralism and upholding the rule of law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The Philippines expresses its support to Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairship under the theme “Inclusivity and Sustainability”. In 2026, the Philippines will assume the chair of ASEAN.
The Philippines will continue to work hand-in-hand with other ASEAN member states and external partners towards achieving an inclusive and sustainable ASEAN future for all of us.
Mabuhay and Happy ASEAN Day!
Message of the Secretary of Foreign Affairs Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro on the Occasion of the Commemoration of the 58th Founding Anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
PASAY, 08 August 2025 – The Department of Foreign Affairs joins the entire region in celebrating the 58th Founding Anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). On this occasion, we reaffirm the Philippines’ enduring commitment to regional solidarity and cooperation, peace, progress, and shared prosperity, which are the very principles enshrined in the Bangkok Declaration by ASEAN’s founding members.
For more than five decades, ASEAN has served as a vital platform for its Member States to engage in dialogue and cooperation across the three pillars: political-security, economic, and socio-cultural. ASEAN has evolved into the center of our regional architecture, expanding its convening power to include dialogue partners and address both regional and global challenges.
The Philippines remains committed to promoting a people-oriented and people-centered ASEAN, one that delivers real and tangible benefits to its citizens. These include students who have access to quality education through ASEAN scholarships, communities that receive timely assistance through coordinated disaster response, MSMEs that flourish through regional trade and investment agreements, and tourists who enjoy greater mobility across ASEAN Member States, among others. These are clear examples of how regional cooperation directly impacts the lives of our people.
Next year, the Philippines will assume the ASEAN Chairship for 2026. This presents a valuable opportunity for our country to help shape ASEAN’s priorities. We look forward to contributing to the region’s collective future, one that is peaceful, secure, and prosperous. END
