Trump’s ASEAN Summit trip to PH will be ‘very short’—envoy
US President Donald Trump attends a bilateral meeting with Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on the sidelines of the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur on October 26, 2025. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds, AFP/FileMANILA — US President Donald Trump’s visit to the Philippines for the 49th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings this month is expected to be short, the Philippine ambassador to the US said Thursday.
Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez said that Trump’s planned attendance in the ASEAN Summit will push through, saying the region is a “very important market” for the US.
“At saka ‘yung peace and security dito sa atin is important sa Indo-Pacific region kaya medyo naka-commit na si President Trump diyan,” Romualdez told DZMM TeleRadyo.
He added that the US President’s attendance towards the end of the summit will be “very short,” noting that Trump will also attend the APEC Summit in China this November.
Social media users have speculated that the Pax Silica framework will be signed during Trump’s visit to Manila later this month.
But the Palace has yet to give a clear answer as to the potential signing of the controversial deal.
On Tuesday, Democrats won full control of the US Congress in a sweeping midterm rout with a landslide of upsets that delivered a crushing rebuke of Trump and his Republican Party.
Asked about the effect of the US midterms on the Philippines, Romualdez said, “Sa totoo lang, walang epekto in a sense dahil marami tayong supporters sa US Congress.”
“Meron tayong bipartisan support, marami tayong kaibigan na mga Democrats, marami rin tayong kaibigan sa mga Republicans,” he said.
“So with both parties, meron tayong magandang relasyon, so tuloy-tuloy lang ang ating — ang policy ng US tungkol sa Philippines. Wala tayong problema sa tingin ko lang.” —With reports from Jervis Manahan, ABS-CBN News; Agence France-Presse