President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. speaks before members of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) and answers queries on various national and international issues during FOCAP's Presidential Luncheon at a hotel in Manila on August 14, 2026. Noel B. Pabalate, PPA Pool
MANILA — The role of women in Southeast Asian society must be further highlighted and empowered, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said in his attendance at the 4th ASEAN Women Leaders' Summit held in Mandaluyong on Tuesday.
In his speech, Marcos acknowledged that the roles of Southeast Asian women in strengthening families, communities, and economies "have too often [been] undervalued."
"Women's leadership is not optional to our regional agenda. It is the core driver of our security, resilience, and prosperity," Marcos said.
"That must change. Women are not simply beneficiaries of our progress. They are leaders and innovators, shaping ASEAN's future and our policies, institutions and investments must reflect this," the President added.
Marcos said that women remain underrepresented in Cabinets and Parliaments of ASEAN member states.
"This is not simply a gap in representation, it is a gap in leadership in whose voices shape the decisions that affect our region," he said.
"So, we must act with greater purpose by building stronger leadership pipelines, advancing measures that open pathways to decision making, and establishing a regional network that connects, supports, and strengthens women leaders all across ASEAN," Marcos added.
He said structural hurdles in small businesses must be resolved, as women form the backbone of ASEAN's 60 million MSMEs.
"Under the Philippines' Chairship, we are accelerating digital financial inclusion and ensuring market integration explicitly benefiting women-led enterprises," the President said.
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UNPAID CARE WORK
Marcos also said there will be investments in care economy as this sector heavily relies on women.
"Unpaid care work falls disproportionately on women, restricting their time and opportunity to lead in the formal workforce, especially in the so called non-traditional fields," he said.
"By investing in care infrastructure and redistributing care obligations, we do not just support women, we unlock billions of dollars in economic potential across our region," Marcos added.
Marcos also spoke about the role of women in prevention and resolution of conflict and how the regional bloc must act against gender-based violence.
"When women sit at the table, peace agreements are more durable and rebuilding is more inclusive," he said.
"As our region digitalizes, new threats have emerged. Gender-based violence now crosses into online spaces. We cannot speak of empowerment while our women and girls face harassment and abuse online," Marcos said.
"The Philippines stands with ASEAN in building digital frameworks that keep this frontier a space of opportunity, not of oppression. Declarations and summits are certainly valuable, but action is our true currency," he said.
The ASEAN Chair ended his speech saying that pro-women policies must be enacted by the bloc.
"To our women leaders in governance, civil society, business, and technology: Keep leading, keep demanding space, keep pushing our region forward," he ended.
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