ASEAN Chair

It is the most inauspicious time for the Philippines to take the rotating chairmanship of ASEAN.

- BOO CHANCO

Our corruption scandal has stripped us of credibility. Regional tensions involving its members have never been as bad as it is now. And big power rivalry is ripping the alliance apart.

As ASEAN Chair in 2026, the Philippines faces challenges balancing our South China Sea problems with regional unity, managing internal political pressures, navigating great power competition and addressing the Myanmar crisis without clear consensus.

It will also be a challenge to progress on ambitious economic integration goals, articulated in 1992 with the signing of the Framework Agreement on Enhancing ASEAN Economic Cooperation, which established the goal of an ASEAN Free Trade Area.

One big headache for ASEAN is the civil war in Myanmar. The military junta is ignoring ASEAN pressure.

Then there is the worsening border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia.

Our conflict with China over our exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea is also getting worse. Filipino fishermen in frail wooden bancas are being bombarded with water cannons by large and modern Chinese Coast Guard ships.

China has been increasingly belligerent and has established large, fully-functioning military bases on the “Big Three” (Subi, Mischief, Fiery Cross Reefs) with airstrips and missile emplacements, creating significant air and naval hubs.

Recent construction has shifted to smaller, previously occupied islets, adding infrastructure like housing, helipads and power supplies for self-sufficiency and better access. China’s total number of buildings and artificial land far exceeds that of Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan and Malaysia combined, solidifying its dominant presence.