Jakarta, August 26, 2026 — Minister of Creative Economy/Head of the Creative Economy Agency (Ekraf), Teuku Riefky Harsya, received a courtesy visit from Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to the Republic of Indonesia Christopher B. Montero. The meeting discussed mapping the creative economy potential of both countries, optimizing the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), and preparations for the World Conference on Creative Economy (WCCE) 2026.
Minister of Creative Economy/Head of the Creative Economy Agency (Ekraf), Teuku Riefky Harsya (center), speaks with Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to the Republic of Indonesia Christopher B. Montero (left) during a meeting at the Ministry of Creative Economy office in Jakarta, Wednesday (26/08/2026).
“We greatly appreciate the Philippines’ leadership of ASEAN this year, as well as its various initiatives to strengthen the creative economy in the region. As fellow Southeast Asian countries, we share many similarities and have significant potential to complement one another. I hope we can strengthen collaboration between Indonesian and Philippine talent to create new initiatives that benefit both countries,” said Teuku Riefky during the meeting at the Ministry of Creative Economy office in Jakarta, Wednesday (26/8).
Considering the Philippines’ achievements in the creative industries and its globally recognized creative talent, the Minister of Creative Economy noted the significant potential for synergy in bringing Indonesian and Philippine talent together. Such collaboration is expected to generate new initiatives that benefit both countries.
Philippine Ambassador Christopher B. Montero expressed interest in learning more about Indonesia’s creative economy development, including the institutional role of the Ministry of Creative Economy as an institution specifically responsible for the sector. According to him, Indonesia and the Philippines have significant potential for synergy, particularly as the two countries already have an MoU on creative economy cooperation.
“We hope to identify more opportunities for collaboration and develop concrete cooperation to jointly advance the creative economies of both countries,” said Ambassador Montero.
Photo: Bureau for Communication, Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency.
Cooperation between the two countries has been realized through several initiatives, including the Batik-Barong collaboration, which combines the Philippine Barong garment with traditional Indonesian batik techniques and motifs. The cross-border collaboration in the crafts and fashion subsectors was launched in March 2026 on the sidelines of the ASEAN-UK Creative Symposium in Manila and witnessed by Deputy Minister of Creative Economy Irene Umar and Philippine Secretary of Trade and Industry Cris Roque.
The two countries previously collaborated through the Philippines-Indonesia Creative Economy Roundtable in Manila in 2024, held to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Indonesia–Philippines diplomatic relations. At the regional level, Indonesia supports the Philippines’ initiative as Chair of ASEAN 2026 to establish the ASEAN Center of Excellence for Creative Industries (ACE-CI), headquartered in Manila.
The initiative is intended to serve as a hub for creative economy collaboration and exploration among ASEAN member states. Indonesia and the Philippines are also involved in the development of the Creative Economy Data Model in collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and have a track record of supporting creative economy agendas at the United Nations (UN).
Photo: Bureau for Communication, Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency.
During the meeting, the Minister of Creative Economy invited Ambassador Christopher B. Montero and the Philippine delegation to attend WCCE 2026, which will take place on October 21–23, 2026, at the Jakarta International Expo (JIExpo) Kemayoran, Jakarta. Ambassador Montero expressed his commitment to encouraging the participation of a high-level Philippine delegation. The two sides also discussed opportunities for the participation of Philippine talent and creative industry players, as well as promotional exchanges and pop-up exhibitions of creative products in both countries.
In addition to strengthening collaboration through WCCE 2026, Indonesia has opened the opportunity for the Philippines to host WCCE 2028. The meeting served as a momentum to strengthen the implementation of creative economy cooperation between the two countries while expanding opportunities for collaboration in developing the creative economy ecosystem across the ASEAN region.
Kiagoos Irvan Faisal
Head of Bureau for Communication
Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency
