MANADO, Indonesia – The Philippines and Indonesia are working to draw up a clearer definition of the border between the two countries to prevent the overlapping of territorial areas.
“We hope to be able to resolve a few issues in this meeting. And one of them is the definition of mutually agreed coordinated border patrol area between the two countries. We want to have a clearer definition of our border area,” said Commodore Ediberto Suria, chief of the Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao (NFEM), who heads the Philippine delegation to the 28th Vice Chairman’s Conference of the Philippine-Indonesia Border Committee held here in Manado.
Suria stressed the need to revise the area of coordinated patrol operation because of the changes brought about by the new baseline laws of both countries that were separately passed recently.
He said the coordinated patrol between Indonesia and the Philippines has actually identified certain existing areas but these have to be revised to define a common maritime border patrol area with respect to the new baseline laws.
“There is a need to identify new coordinates for the common maritime border patrol areas to meet the challenging demands of addressing various perceived and possible threats between the two countries,” Suria said.
He also cited the need to define an agreed median line in the border area that has to be mutually agreed upon by both Indonesia and the Philippines.
“Once it will is defined, it will now determine where we can conduct combined or coordinated patrols. Right now, without that median line, we just look at which areas can become the border areas,” the NFEM chief said.
Suria likewise pointed out that problems on communication in the border patrol operation also continue to beset those tasked to man the border patrol crossing stations.
“Language has always been a challenge,” he said, adding that the lack of infrastructure also hounds the border patrol operation.
“Even if we have the current technologies but if we do not have power in the border crossing stations, still the technologies would be nothing,” he said.
Both Indonesia and the Philippines have three border patrol crossing stations in certain areas that link up the two countries.
Suria said the two Southeast Asian neighbors are also pushing for business to flourish especially between Mindanao and East Indonesia.
“What we are trying to do here is to as much as possible come up with a formal trade route that would enhance cross-border trading and travel between the two areas. Those passing through the route that we establish would be protected by authorities especially since they also pay the correct tariffs and duties,” he said.