WATCH: Aquino says ASEAN should not castigate Indonesia for haze

MANILA, Philippines - President Benigno Aquino III said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should not reprimand Indonesia for the haze caused by forest fires in the archipelago.

During the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines presidential forum on Tuesday, Aquino said the ASEAN should help Indonesia instead of blaming it for the haze that has affected other countries in the region including the Philippines.

"Instead of castigating an ASEAN brother country, perhaps in the ASEAN Summit, we should really look for the wherewithal, the direction, the attitude—attitudinal change whereby we can help Indonesia avoid creating this problem," Aquino said.

"That, I think, is the most constructive activity that we should be undertaking rather than, you know, concentrating on apportioning blame," he added.

After the haze from Indonesia reached parts of Visayas and Mindanao, Aquino said he had asked the Department of Science and Technology to study the problem and recommend possible actions.