PHILIPPINE EMBASSY BRINGS SWEET TRADITIONS TO ACW ASEAN DAY 2025 HOSTED BY ROYAL THAI EMBASSY IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

PRESS RELEASE
WDC-55-2025

11 August 2025

Embassy Press and Information Section

info@phembassy-us.org

WASHINGTON D.C. – The Philippine Embassy proudly joined fellow ASEAN missions in celebrating ASEAN Day 2025 on 8 August 2025 at the Royal Thai Embassy in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. The event, organized by the ASEAN Committee in Washington, D.C. (ACW), currently chaired by the Royal Thai Embassy, commemorated the founding of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The celebration featured a morning VIP reception attended by U.S. government officials, diplomatic representatives, and cultural partners, followed by an afternoon program open to the public that showcased Southeast Asian cuisine, culture, and traditions.

The Philippine booth drew enthusiastic crowds with its chicken barbecue, turon (fried banana spring rolls), and refreshing mango juice, alongside a cultural highlight: a live, hands-on demonstration of pastillas (milk candies) making. Children from the audience rolled and shaped the sweet treats, sampling their creations on the spot.

“ASEAN has been fortunate to welcome new members of the family throughout the years… we are now ten countries in Southeast Asia and soon to be eleven,” said H.E. Dr. Suriya Chindawongse, Ambassador of Thailand and Chair of ACW. “We are looking forward to our dear friends from Timor-Leste joining us.”

“The United States throughout has always been a dear partner of ASEAN. Initially as a Dialogue Partner, then became a Strategic Partner, and now a Comprehensive Strategic Partner…it reflects the great breadth, width, depth of the cooperation between our friends in the United States and the ASEAN Community because we believe the United States has a very important role to play in the ASEAN and Indo-Pacific region,” he added.

“As Chair of ASEAN this year, we chose the theme Inclusivity and Sustainability because we believe that no member state or sector of society should be left behind,” added H.E. Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob, Ambassador of Malaysia to the U.S. “As we celebrate ASEAN Day in Washington, D.C., it is also pertinent for me to highlight that this year marks the 3rd anniversary of the ASEAN-U.S. Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.”

U.S. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Jonathan Fritz commended ASEAN’s role in fostering peace and dialogue in the region, stating, “ASEAN’s true superpower is its ability to nurture discussion and collaboration — a superpower the United States is proud to be associated with.” He also highlighted ASEAN-U.S. relations and mentioned that “it bears repeating that ASEAN is the preeminent forum through which the United States engages with Southeast Asia.”

For the Philippine Embassy, the celebration underscored the country’s commitment to the ASEAN Community and the value of cultural exchange in strengthening regional unity.

The annual ASEAN Day, celebrated every August 8, marks ASEAN’s founding in 1967 with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration. With the anticipated inclusion of Timor-Leste, ASEAN will soon encompass eleven nations and complete its geographical footprint across Southeast Asia.

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