THE House of Representatives will assume the presidency of the 47th Asean Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) on Jan. 19, in line with the country’s hosting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit this year. The kickoff will be held at the Batasang Pambansa Complex. In a statement on Thursday, House Committee on Asean Affairs Senior Vice Chairman and Pangasinan Rep. Maria Rachel Arenas said the House will welcome its hosting of assembly at a “turning point for Southeast Asia.” It comes after Asean admitted Timor-Leste as its 11th member and the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, a legally binding code that embodies universal principles of peaceful coexistence and friendly cooperation among countries in Southeast Asia. Speaker Faustino Dy III will be the ex-officio president of the AIPA 2026 and will deliver the keynote address at the launch of AIPA 2026 Activities, which will culminate in the General Assembly in October. The Women Parliamentarians of AIPA, the Young Parliamentarians of AIPA and the AIPA Committee on Dangerous Drugs will hold separate events to deliberate on shared concerns and draft resolutions for consideration and adoption of the AIPA General Assembly. Last September, Malaysian House of Representatives Speaker Tan Sri Johari Bin Abdul officially turned over the AIPA presidency to the Philippines, which was received by Deputy Speaker and TUCP Partylist Rep. Raymund Democrito Mendoza. This will be the seventh time the Philippines will host AIPA since its establishment as the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Organization in 1977. The last Philippine hosting was in 2017.