Manila, May 25 -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. departed for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Sunday to attend the 46th ASEAN Summit, where regional leaders are expected to draw up a collective response to the United States' (US) new tariff measures.

Before boarding his flight at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City, Marcos revealed that informal consultations had already begun among ASEAN leaders, signaling a shift in the bloc's economic posture amid rising global trade tensions.

"I will add to that list of issues the discussions which we will continue, as we have already had preliminary discussions with the Chair of ASEAN, Malaysia, specifically PM Anwar on the proper response of ASEAN as a group towards the new tariff schedule being imposed ...