Noy, Indonesian president to ink agreements on mutual interests

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines and Indonesia will sign various agreements during the visit of Indonesian President Joko Widodo beginning today.

Widodo is scheduled to arrive at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City at 5 p.m.  He will meet with President Aquino and other government officials at Malacañang tomorrow afternoon, and a state dinner will be held in his honor in the evening.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said yesterday the meeting of Aquino and Widodo would revolve around areas of mutual interest and concern between the Philippines and Indonesia.

“We are in discussions to further work out cooperation in various areas of mutual interest and concerns, such as migrant workers, technical-vocational skills upgrading, the combating of trafficking of narcotics and educational visits,” Lacierda added.

There is no word yet on whether Aquino will bring up with Widodo the case of a Filipina on death row in Indonesia for drug smuggling.

The Filipina was traveling to Indonesia as a tourist when she was arrested at the Yogyakarta airport in April 2010 for carrying 2.6 kilograms of heroin on a flight from Malaysia.

The Philippine government had appealed for judicial review and Indonesia suspended the sentence.

Earlier reports said a memorandum of understanding on combating illegal drugs would be signed during the meeting of Aquino and Widodo.

The Department of Foreign Affairs considers Widodo’s visit to the Philippines as “introductory,” following his election as Indonesia’s president on Oct. 20, 2014.

“In the spirit of ASEAN solidarity, it is tradition on the part of a new head of state to immediately conduct introductory visits to fellow ASEAN member states,” the DFA said.

The Philippines is Widodo’s final stop in a three-country Southeast Asian trip, following his state visits to Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam.

Indonesia was the Philippines’ 11th largest trade partner in 2013, with total trade amounting to $3.62 billion.

Both nations also enjoy excellent bilateral relations and cooperate extensively in numerous areas.

The two countries signed the landmark Agreement Concerning the Delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone Boundary on May 23, 2014, effectively clarifying the maritime boundary between Southern Mindanao and North Sulawesi in Indonesia.