President Rodrigo Duterte is set to participate later this week in the 36th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit to be held via a video conference, Malacañang said on Monday.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque saidDuterte will join his ASEAN counterparts on Friday, June 26.

The activities on Friday include the opening ceremony of the 36th ASEAN Summit, with Vietnam as the chair this year; the ASEAN Leaders Special Session on Women's Empowerment; ASEAN Leaders Interface with the Representatives of ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly; ASEAN Leaders Interface with Representatives of ASEAN Youth; ASEAN Leaders Interface with Representatives of ASEAN Business Advisory Council; and the press conference of the Chair of the 36th ASEAN Summit.

"It will take the whole day of Friday. So, it's a full schedule for the President on Friday," Roque said in a virtual press briefing.

Asked if Duterte would report on the ASEAN-China Dialogue as the Philippines being its chair, he said there was no special session for it.

But he added, "perhaps that could be part of the meeting itself of the Heads of State of ASEAN."

Aside from the ASEAN Summit, Roque said the President is also scheduled this week to give honor to the government troopers who lost their lives in fighting the terrorists in Mindanao.

The 36th ASEAN Summit was initially scheduled in April. But this was moved to June due to coronavirus disease pandemic. Celerina Monte/DMS