All ASEAN heads of state, with the exception of Myanmar, are set to gather in Cebu for the ASEAN Summit 2026 and its related high-level meetings, Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary and ASEAN spokesman Dominic Xavier Imperial announced on Wednesday.
Imperial clarified that Myanmar will instead send the Permanent Secretary of its Ministry of Foreign Affairs alongside its Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) leader to represent the country.
The development follows an April parliamentary vote in Myanmar that elected military leader Min Aung Hlaing as president. He initially seized power in 2021 after deposing the administration of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
When questioned about the absence of the newly elected Myanmar president at this year’s regional summit, Imperial explained that the regional bloc is strictly adhering to previous agreements made by ASEAN leaders.
”Noong mayroon pong lumabas na desisyon ‘yung mga leaders noon na because of the situation in Myanmar, so ang decision po noon for the summits, the representation of Myanmar would be their SOM leader and their Permanent Secretary,” Imperial said.
“And for that reason, dahil hindi naman po nabago ‘yun at wala pa naman pong bagong desisyon ‘yung mga leaders, so, ganoon pa rin po. The representation of Myanmar stands,” he added.
Imperial also disclosed earlier on Wednesday that ASEAN member-states have not yet reached a consensus on whether to formally recognize Myanmar’s recent elections, noting that internal discussions regarding diplomatic relations with the nation are still ongoing.
Furthermore, member-states continue to monitor progress on the implementation of the five-point consensus (5PC), a peace plan that demands an immediate end to violence and seeks to streamline the distribution of humanitarian aid to the citizens of Myanmar.
The Philippines serves as the host and chair of the ASEAN for 2026. The ten other member-states of the regional bloc include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam, and Myanmar.