Manila, March 28 -- House of Representatives Speaker Faustino "Bojie" Dy III on Saturday announced that the Philippines' hosting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) meetings this year will be scaled down by limiting in-person activities to the General Assembly in October and the Interface Meeting in November, while shifting all preparatory meetings to virtual platforms.

Dy said the move is in line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to streamline official engagements for the upcoming ASEAN Summit, while responding to the economic pressures brought about by global developments.

"Following the guidance of the President, we are adopting necessary austerity measures in our A...