PH
MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos will hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of Australia, Brazil, Japan and South Korea on the sidelines of the 49th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit and related summits, according to ASEAN spokesman Dominic Xavier Imperial.
Meetings with the leaders of India and Laos, as well as United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, are still being finalized, Imperial said.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, meanwhile, arrived in the country yesterday for a state visit and the ASEAN Summit, which runs from Nov. 15 to 17.
Marcos is set to meet Lula today at the Philippine International Convention Center to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral ties and expand cooperation in trade and investment, agriculture, energy, science and technology, defense and technical cooperation.
“The visit seeks to strengthen the two countries’ bilateral relations and expand cooperation in trade and investment, agriculture, energy, science and technology, defense and technical cooperation,” the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said in a statement.
“As the largest country and economy in Latin America, Brazil is a key partner of the Philippines as the Marcos administration advances efforts to broaden the country’s engagement with Latin America for mutual benefit,” the PCO said.
School protests
As the Philippines prepares for the summit, students and teachers staged protests nationwide yesterday over the government’s policies and spending priorities.
In Manila, students from several universities joined campus-wide walkouts to protest the upcoming visit of Trump.
Protests were staged at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, De La Salle University, DLSU College of Saint Benilde, University of Santo Tomas, University of the Philippines Manila, Philippine Normal University, Far Eastern University, National Teachers College and Arellano University.
Protesters at UP-Manila chanted anti-Trump slogans and performed the university’s “Unibersidad” cheer.
“His visit means that we are open arms and welcoming to imperialist leaders who do nothing but plunder our wealth and s†éál our future,” National Union of Students of the Philippines president Iya Trinidad told The STAR.
In Baguio City, students from the University of the Philippines Baguio, University of the Cordilleras, Saint Louis University, University of Baguio, Benguet State University, Easter College and Baguio City National Science High School marched from their respective campuses to Igorot Park for a peaceful rally opposing Pax Silica.
Meanwhile, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers Private Schools denounced the P22.9-billion allocation for the summit and city beautification projects, saying the funds could have addressed education and health care gaps instead.
The group cited the government’s P96 daily poverty threshold and said the budget could finance about 9,160 public school classrooms or more than 1,900 super health centers.
“Ordinary Filipinos will gain nothing tangible from these high-profile international gatherings while basic services across the country remain starved of support. This reflects a legacy of superficial beautification rather than genuine socio-economic development,” ACT Private Schools secretary-general Jonathan Geronimo said.
The group called on teachers, students, workers and civil society members to join a march on Nov. 15 to demand greater investment in basic services.
The Manila protesters, meanwhile, announced their participation in the protests scheduled during the ASEAN Summit from Nov. 16 to 18.
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Date posted: 2026-11-14T00:00:00+08:00