Prabowo Arrives in the Philippines, Set to Attend ASEAN Summit Addressing Haze Issues

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - President Prabowo Subianto arrived in Manila, Philippines, on Saturday (14/11/2026) to attend the 49th ASEAN Summit, which will take place from November 15 to 17, 2026.

One of the pressing issues during the preparations for the ASEAN Summit is the transboundary haze caused by forest and land fires.

According to an official statement from the Indonesian Presidential Secretariat, Prabowo and his entourage landed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay, Manila, on Saturday evening.

Upon arrival, Prabowo was welcomed by Philippine Education Secretary Sonny Angara, the Charge d'Affaires a.i. of the Indonesian Embassy in Manila, Victorina Hesti Dewayani, and the Indonesian Defense Attaché in Manila, Colonel Meldi.

After disembarking from the plane, Prabowo was greeted by an honor guard and a traditional Philippine dance performance.

During the 49th ASEAN Summit, Prabowo is scheduled to participate in several high-level meetings with leaders of ASEAN member countries.

This meeting serves as an important opportunity to strengthen dialogue, enhance collaboration, and discuss various strategic issues that are of common interest to countries in the region.

“This meeting is an important moment to strengthen dialogue, enhance collaboration, and discuss various strategic issues that are of mutual interest to countries in the region,” as cited in the press release.

Previously reported, the Philippines, as ASEAN chair, confirmed that the issue of haze would be included in the agenda for discussions at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ preparatory meeting.

“This issue is on the agenda,” said Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Dominic Xavier Imperial on Tuesday (13/10/2026).

Besides the Philippines, Malaysia also plans to bring the issue of transboundary haze to the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting ahead of the ASEAN Summit.

This move aims to promote a more effective regional mechanism to address the haze crisis caused by forest and land fires in Southeast Asia.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan stated that the haze issue requires special attention as it is not yet covered by the disaster management framework currently in place within ASEAN. This statement was reported by the Bernama news agency on Monday (12/10/2026).