Marcos forms Nat’l Organizing Council for PH hosting of 2026 Asean summit

Heads of state pose for group picture during the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne, Australia on March 6, 2024. (File photo from REUTERS/Jaimi Joy)

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the creation of the National Organizing Council (NOC) for the preparation of the Philippines’ hosting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

The Philippines was supposed to host the annual Asean Summit in 2027, but it took over for 2026 as Myanmar struggles with internal conflict.

READ: PH steps in as Asean 2026 chair after troubled Myanmar opts out

“I, Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution and existing laws, do hereby order: the Asean National Organizing Council (NOC) is hereby constituted to facilitate the planning, implementation and monitoring of programs, activities, and projects for the hosting of the Asean,” said Administrative Order No. 17.

The order was signed on March 22, but released to the public on Tuesday.

The Executive Secretary is the Chairperson of the Committee, while the Secretary of Foreign Affairs is the Vice Chairperson for the Political Community.

The Secretary of Trade and Industry is the Vice Chairperson for the Asean Economic Community, and the Secretary of Social Welfare and Development is the Vice Chairperson for Socio-Cultural Community.

The NOC’s other members are the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of National Defense, the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Department of Budget and Management, and the Presidential Communications Office.

The order also said the chief executives of the cities where the Asean Summit will be held are of the NOC as well.