WNAM REPORT: Indonesia’s Ministry of Creative Economy and Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia Christopher B. Montero agreed to boost bilateral creative economy ties through cross-border collaboration and market expansion across Southeast Asia.
Creative Economy Minister Teuku Riefky Harsya stated that bilateral cooperation holds strong potential through talent exchange and the creation of commercialized cultural products.
“We share many similarities and the potential to complement each other. I hope we can strengthen collaboration between our creative talents for mutual benefit,” Harsya remarked in a statement on Monday.
He noted that the Philippines’ recognized talent and creative sector offer Indonesia opportunities for cross-subsector collaboration and broader access to Southeast Asian markets.
The collaboration has taken shape through the Batik-Barong initiative, blending traditional Philippine Barong attire with Indonesian batik techniques and motifs. The cross-border creation combines the cultural heritage of both countries into a product with the potential to enter new markets.
Besides product development, Indonesia and the Philippines also discussed opportunities for promotional exchanges and pop-up exhibitions of creative products in both countries. The scheme could enable creative businesses to directly market their products and assess consumer response in partner countries.
At the regional level, the cooperation is expected to bolster the ASEAN creative economy ecosystem, with Indonesia backing the Philippines’ 2026 ASEAN chairmanship initiative to establish the ASEAN Center of Excellence for Creative Industries (ACE-CI) in Manila.
According to the statement, the center is expected to accommodate collaboration and exploration of the creative industries of ASEAN countries, ensuring creative economy development is not pursued separately by individual countries.
Meanwhile, Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia, Christopher B. Montero, conveyed that his government sees significant opportunities to expand concrete cooperation with Indonesia. His country is also interested in studying the institutional development of Indonesia’s creative economy.
“We hope to identify more collaboration opportunities and develop concrete cooperation to jointly advance the creative economies of both countries,” Montero remarked.
The partnership could position the creative economy as a new source of ASEAN growth while giving creative talents and entrepreneurs greater access to regional markets.
