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“It will take time -- at least months -- for damaged infrastructure to be repaired, for the strait to be demined, and for goods to flow through,” he told Asean leaders.

A war closer to home was also hotly debated on Friday, with member states arguing over their approach to Myanmar, which has been formally excluded from high-level summits since its military junta snatched power in a 2021 coup.

The coup triggered a bloody civil war that still rages.

“Many of the members aired their frustration about the lack of progress in the process of normalising the situation in Myanmar,” Marcos said.

Thailand, which shares a border with its war-torn neighbour, has spent months pushing for higher-level engagement.

A Thai diplomat confirmed at a briefing that Bangkok’s foreign minister was pushing for higher-level diplomatic contact with Myanmar, saying the suggestion had been “received in a positive light” by Asean members.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan told reporters on Thursday his country remained opposed to high-level talks while “oppression is still taking place”.

“There are still atrocities towards their own citizens,” he said of Myanmar’s junta.

Marcos also said the Philippines had not given up hope of completing its long-planned Code of Conduct meant to regulate disagreements between bloc members and China in the South China Sea.

The Philippines, which has seen its ships engage in repeated clashes with Chinese vessels in the disputed waterway, has previously said it wanted to complete the document.

However, talks have stalled repeatedly over disagreements on the code’s scope, enforcement and legal status.