Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers remarks during the ASEAN chairmanship handover ceremony as part of the closing ceremony of the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur on October 28, 2025. — AFP/ANN Photo

PUTRAJAYA — Physical ASEAN meetings held this year will only be for heads of government.

Philippines' Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil, who announced this, said the Cabinet was informed that the annual ASEAN meeting this year will be held virtually for delegates.

“The Cabinet was informed by the Foreign Minister (Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan) that ASEAN meetings this year will be held virtually.

“There will be no physical meetings, whether in Manila or in other countries, except for heads of government,” Fahmi said at his weekly post-Cabinet press briefing here yesterday.

The Philippines is the host country and chair for ASEAN this year, under the theme Navigating Our Future, Together.

Last Friday, the Philippines stated that all 650 preparatory meetings for ASEAN, including ministerial sessions, will be held virtually to cut costs.

Preparatory meetings include working groups, senior officials and ministerial meetings.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr had said that the ASEAN Summit in May will be shortened to a 'bare-bones' programme to focus on issues like fuel supplies, food prices and migrant workers.

According to the latest notional calendar, the 48th ASEAN Leaders’ Summit is scheduled on May 8 and 9.

Fahmi said the first ASEAN meeting for the year will be the ASEAN Health Ministers meeting, which will be held virtually.

The 36th and 37th ASEAN Summit in 2020, chaired by Việt Nam, were held virtually due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The subsequent 38th and 39th ASEAN Summit and related summits were also hosted virtually via video conference by Brunei Darussalam in 2021.

In 2022, under Cambodia’s chairmanship, the ASEAN Summit and related meetings returned to physical meetings.

Fahmi said that Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar briefed the Cabinet about the work-from-home policy implementation involving the civil service and would announce the details later.

He said the Cabinet directed Shamsul to look into reducing government red tape to assist businesses renewing their licences.

“He has to report back to the Cabinet on the efforts to reduce bureaucracies, especially for industries and businesses affected by the global energy crisis,” he added. — THE STAR