Prabowo wears Barong Tagalog at ASEAN Summit gala dinner

Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Prabowo Subianto wore the Filipino national attire Barong Tagalog when attending the gala dinner of the 48th ASEAN Summit at Mactan Expo, Cebu, Philippines, on Friday, which was the final event of the ASEAN Summit series in the Philippines on 6-8 May 2026.

President Prabowo, who arrived at the venue in the presidential vehicle Maung Garuda, immediately proceeded to the welcoming area upon reaching Mactan Expo.

President Prabowo’s arrival was greeted by the host, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., along with his wife, First Lady Marie Louise Araneta-Marcos.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who also wore the Barong Tagalog with his wife, continued by shaking hands with President Prabowo. Prabowo and Marcos Jr. even had a brief conversation during the welcoming ceremony.

Afterwards, the Philippine President entered the room with other ASEAN country leaders, who also wore the national attire Barong Tagalog.

Those country leaders sat in the front row, and President Prabowo sat flanked by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Prince Abdul Mateen, who is the son of Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.

The gala dinner was then opened by President Marcos Jr. From the stage, the host expressed the highest appreciation to the country leaders attending the 48th ASEAN Summit series.

In his speech, President Marcos Jr. conveyed that the results of today’s ASEAN leaders’ summit meeting demonstrate the character of ASEAN that has been maintained since its inception, namely openness, unity, and commitment to responsibly safeguarding common interests.

Marcos Jr. also hoped that after meeting today, the country leaders could remain steadfast in their commitments to maintain the collaboration and cooperation that has been established in the region, especially amid global challenges and geopolitical dynamics due to conflicts and wars occurring in other parts of the world.

At the gala dinner event, other attending country leaders included Laotian Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Timor Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão, and Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung.