Cebu. President Prabowo Subianto arrived in Cebu, the Philippines, on Thursday to attend the ASEAN Summit, drawing attention after traveling from the airport in a Maung official vehicle manufactured by Indonesian defense company Pindad.

The president was welcomed at the airport by Bea Martinez, deputy chief of presidential protocol, before continuing to his hotel aboard the white Maung vehicle bearing the “Indonesia 1” presidential license plate.

The occasion marked the first time Prabowo had used the domestically produced Maung during an overseas visit.

Upon arriving at the hotel, Prabowo was greeted by several senior Indonesian officials, including Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra, Indonesian military commander Agus Subiyanto, and Navy Chief of Staff Muhammad Ali.

Hundreds of Indonesians living in the Philippines also gathered to welcome the president, waving Indonesian flags. Prabowo briefly greeted members of the diaspora at the venue.

The president is later scheduled to travel to Shangri-La Mactan to attend the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area forum, widely known as BIMP-EAGA.

At the meeting, Prabowo is expected to hold discussions with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

The forum will focus on strengthening regional economic cooperation and addressing strategic issues among the four member countries.

Broader ASEAN Agenda
On Friday, Prabowo and the Indonesian delegation are scheduled to participate in plenary meetings and a retreat session with ASEAN leaders at the Mactan Expo in Cebu.

This year’s ASEAN Summit is expected to address a range of regional and global issues, including the impact of Middle East conflicts, energy and food security, and Southeast Asian regional stability.

Accompanying Prabowo on the flight to the Philippines were Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia and Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya.