President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. discussed regional security and economic challenges in a phone conversation with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Friday.

Anwar made a phone call to Marcos weeks ahead of the 46th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur later this month.

In his Facebook post, Marcos said he is looking forward to continuing to discuss regional challenges in security and economy with Anwar and other ASEAN members during the summit from May 26 to 27.

In his separate post, Anwar said he shared "some matters and developments regarding ASEAN and global issues" to Marcos during their conversation.

"I informed him of Malaysia's wishes and called for the ceasefire in Myanmar to be extended to ensure that humanitarian aid can continue to be distributed to the affected population. We are also aware that any form of aid should be disseminated without any discrimination or restrictions," he said.

"Regarding tariffs, as the chairman of ASEAN, I would like to inform, that Malaysia can make use of its position to show its importance to the US in global tariff negotiations. The US decision to suspend the implementation of tariffs for 90 days at this time provides relief to allow further discussion on relevant matters given Malaysia's strength in several types of products," he added.

Anwar said he also wished Marcos "success in the General Election on 12 May" while looking forward to their meeting at the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur later. Robina Asido/DMS