The Philippines is adding a dash of star power to next year’s Asean summit by tapping Filipino-American singer Jessica Sanchez, and one famous fan of hers is said to be looking forward to her performance: Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
While meeting with Sanchez on Tuesday in Manila, President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr said that he had invited the America’s Got Talent season 20 winner to the bloc’s May diplomatic gathering in Cebu.
Speaking during the meeting, first lady Liza Marcos said Wong had helped calm the Philippine leader’s nerves about hosting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations leaders’ summit in 2026.
She said the exchange took place during an earlier meeting with Wong in Cambodia and centred on Sanchez, noting that the Singaporean leader, who regularly plays the guitar, had sought to reassure her husband.
“My husband was nervous about the Asean [event next year] and the prime minister said, ‘You guys have no problem. You are so musical, you know you have Jessica Sanchez’,” she said.