Marcos to skip UN General Assembly for the second time

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will not attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York City this month, marking the second time he has skipped the event, Malacañang announced Thursday, September 12.

Instead, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo will represent the Philippines and present the nation's stance on addressing global challenges, the Presidential Communications Office said in a statement. This includes expressing the country's position that issues "should be resolved within the framework of peace and cooperation enshrined in the UN Charter."

Marcos also skipped last year's UN General Assembly and designated Manalo as the country's representative.

For this year's assembly, senior leaders from at least 20 nations are set to meet on the sidelines of the event to discuss how to "talk some sense" into China. The Asian power has been dialing up its aggression in the  South China Sea, said Jose Manuel Romualdez, the Philippine Ambassador to the United States, at a forum with foreign government and military leaders on Tuesday, September 10.

The UN General Assembly serves as the primary policy-making body of the United Nations. Comprising all 193 member states, it provides countries with a forum to discuss international issues, including peace and security, development and human rights. However, it cannot enforce its resolutions or compel state action.

In 2022, during his address at the UN General Assembly's headquarters in Manhattan, Marcos called for other nations' support for the Philippines' bid for a non-permanent seat in the powerful UN Security Council.