President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. spoke to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim over the phone on Friday night to discuss the economic and security issues confronting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

“Nagkausap kami ni Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim ng Malaysia tungkol sa mga hamon sa ekonomiya at seguridad na kinakaharap ng ASEAN bilang isang rehiyon (Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia and I spoke about the economic and security challenges facing the ASEAN as a region),” Marcos said in a Facebook post.

The phone call was made ahead of Malaysia’s hosting of the ASEAN Summit and Related Summits.

Malaysia is this year’s ASEAN chair, while the Philippines will take over the rotating chairmanship in 2026.

Marcos hoped to have similar discussions with other ASEAN leaders during his participation in the upcoming summit in Malaysia this month.

“Inaasahan kong maipagpatuloy ang mga talakayang ito kasama ang iba pa nating mga kasamang lider sa Summit sa Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ngayong buwan (I look forward to continuing these discussions with our fellow leaders at the Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia this month),” he said.

The 46th ASEAN Summit will be held in Kuala Lumpur on May 26-27.

In a post on X, Anwar said he had shared several matters and developments related to ASEAN with Marcos, including the Myanmar crisis, as well as other global issues.

“I informed him of Malaysia’s wishes and calls for the ceasefire in Myanmar to be extended to ensure that humanitarian aid can continue to be channeled to the affected population. We also agree that any form of assistance should be channeled without any discrimination or restrictions,” Anwar said in Malay.

Myanmar was supposed to host the ASEAN in 2026 but was not allowed to assume the chairmanship because of domestic issues faced by Napyidaw, currently ruled by a military junta.

Anwar said he had also informed Marcos of Malaysia’s position on the tariffs recently imposed by the United States.

“Regarding the issue of tariffs, as ASEAN chair, I would like to inform you that Malaysia can leverage its position to demonstrate its interest to the US in global tariff negotiations. The US decision to suspend the implementation of tariffs for 90 days now provides relief to allow for further discussions on related matters given Malaysia’s strengths in several product types,” he said.

Anwar also expressed hope that the May 12 midterm elections in the Philippines would be successful. (PNA)