Navigating toward a prosperous future together

The Philippines will begin its chairship of the ASEAN in January 2026. For this, the Philippines has chosen the theme “Navigating Our Future Together.” In his acceptance speech at the recently concluded 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. likened ASEAN to a ship setting full sail toward a shared horizon - anchored in peace, strengthened by prosperity and guided by the empowerment of its people.

- JOEY CONCEPCION

He further remarked that as the Philippines takes the helm, it will work to ensure that ASEAN’s integration agenda translates to real opportunities for businesses to grow, for communities to thrive and for progress to be inclusive, sustainable and shared by all.

Asin the Philippines, peace, prosperity and people’s empowerment are crucial to advancing the regional economy. Being an avid sailing fan myself, it resonates with me that the Philippines has chosen a nautical metaphor for its theme. For a ship to arrive at the intended port, it needs its crew to work together toward an agreed direction. All members of the crew are important in the task because not one person alone can bring a ship to harbor, let alone navigate towards its goal.

Beyond the teamwork implied in the theme, one can also reflect upon its significance. Great civilizations have thrived around shared bodies of water. They used these not just for transport but also for trade and cultural exchange. The Mediterranean Sea saw the thriving of the Greeks, the Roman Empire and even until the Ottoman Empire. Seabound merchants and travelers in the Indian Ocean connected the Middle East to East Africa, India and Southeast Asia. And in Southeast Asia, you have the West Philippine Sea, where, for centuries, our ancestors from what we now know as the Philippines, Brunei, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam traveled and traded freely with each other. The seas represent the collective future of peoples, not just of nations. We can only truly grow if we work together and with each other.