Responding To The Visit Of The President Of The Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr To Indonesia

President Jokowi and Mrs. Iriana when receiving President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his wife, Louise Araneta Marcos at the Bogor Palace on September 5, 2022. (Manila Buletin/Malacanang Photo)

JAKARTA - The relationship between Indonesia and the Philippines has existed for a long time, since 1949. Starting from a diplomatic relationship as the founder of ASEAN and as a member of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Since the era of President Suharto, relations between Indonesia and the Philippines have even been closer and have targeted various sectors, ranging from defense, economy, agriculture, to education.

According to UN Comtrade data, the trade value between the two countries reached 9.87 billion US dollars. Growing 52.12 percent year on year from the previous year, as well as the highest record since 1989.

In 2021, the export value of Indonesian goods to the Philippines will reach 8.6 billion US dollars or grow 45.8 percent from the previous year. Launching Katadata, there are a number of main products for Indonesia's exports to the Philippines, including fertilizers, chemical products, organic chemicals, minerals, and spare parts.

Vice versa, the import value of goods from the Philippines also grew 115.07 percent to 1.27 billion US dollars.

"Indonesia and the Philippines have a strong partnership relationship," said President Jokowi.

So far, President Jokowi has visited the Malacanang Palace twice. The first bilateral visit was in the era of President Benigno Aquino III in February 2015. Second in the era of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte in April 2017 in response to Duterte's first state visit to Indonesia in early September 2016.

It is an honor for me to be able to make a return visit to Manila. Congratulations on the chairmanship of the Philippines in ASEAN this year, where ASEAN is 50 years old," said President Jokowi when giving a speech at a bilateral meeting between the two countries, at the Malacanang Palace, Manila, Philippines, April 28, 2017, as reported by the Cabinet Secretariat Site.

President of the Philippines, who took office on June 30, Ferdinand Romuladez Marcos Jr. also made his first state visit to Indonesia on September 5, 2022.

I think it's one of the longest diplomatic relations. Actually we have a relationship before we have a country. Indonesia and the Philippines trade, exchange, family members back and forth from our southern island to Indonesia for thousands of years and that's why it's so common for us in the Philippines to come to Indonesia," said President Marcos Jr, who is familiarly called Bongbong, quoted from the website of the Ministry of Administrative Reform. State Apparatus.

During the meeting, Indonesia tried to increase the export of food and beverage products, coconut and seaweed products, and pharmaceuticals. Another strategy is to open access to transportation between the two countries.

President Jokowi wants a special shipping and flight route that can be used for commercial purposes between Indonesia and the Philippines.

"I invite the Philippines to develop trade potential, by opening connectivity in border areas. Proposing the revitalization of the Roro Bitung-Davao ship route and the Manado-Davao flight route," said Jokowi.

"We want to significantly increase the volume of trade," the President added as quoted from the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube account.

As for the increasing intensity of infrastructure cooperation and strategic industry, several Indonesian SOEs have participated in development programs in the Philippines. For example, the procurement project for two landing platform cards by PT. PAL and the train launch project in Manila by PT. LEN.

"I hope that the plan to purchase NC 212i aircraft from PT. Indonesian aerospace can be realized. In the future I want more opportunities for SOEs and private Indonesian companies to support development in the Philippines," he said.

The cooperation agreement between Indonesia and the Philippines is stated in a memorandum of understanding in four fields:

The Memorandum of Understanding in the Development and Promotion of Creative Economy or the MoU for Cooperation in the Development and Promotion of the Creative Economy This memorandum of understanding facilitates cooperation in the development and promotion of the creative industry of the two countries including creative services, visual audio, arts, books, media, and other agreed forms. Both countries will form the IndonesiaPhilippines Joint Task Force to monitor and evaluate its implementation.