PBBM calls for unity at ASEAN TAC 50th anniversary gala

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. hosted a gala dinner at Malacañang Palace on Friday to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC).

As ASEAN Chair for 2026, the Philippines led the celebration of the treaty, which has promoted peace, cooperation, and mutual respect since it was signed in Bali, Indonesia, in 1976.

Earlier in that day, Sweden, Poland, Romania, and Lithuania joined the treaty, bringing the total number of participating countries to 62.

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Welcoming diplomats, foreign ministers, and ASEAN officials, President Marcos compared diplomacy to the Filipino tradition of gathering around the hapag-kainan.

“In every Filipino Home, there is a place where people come together,” President Marcos said. “In our language, we call it hapag-kainan… Tonight the Philippines extends its hapag-kainan to all of you,” President Marcos said.

The President said that just as families build friendships around the table, leaders also build peace and agreement through dialogue.

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President Marcos also recalled that his father, former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, was among the leaders who signed the treaty 50 years ago.

“Only in time did I come to realize that the document signed that day was far more than a treaty. It was a statement of confidence in our region’s future, a conviction that despite our differences, Southeast Asia could build its security through mutual respect and cooperation,” President Marcos reiterated.

The President also linked the treaty’s spirit to the Filipino value of bayanihan, where people help one another and celebrate together after the work is done.

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To mark the golden anniversary, the Philippines unveiled a commemorative postage stamp and a Sampaguita-inspired anniversary emblem, symbolizing 50 years of peace across five continents.

Closing the event, President Marcos called on leaders to continue upholding the treaty’s values.

“May this evening remind us that every enduring partnership begins with a conversation, every lasting friendship with mutual trust, and every meaningful cooperation with the simple willingness to sit together, listen to one another, and seek common ground,” President Marcos said.