INDONESIAN President Joko Widodo’s visit to the Philippines is both timely and important, not only that the two countries are closely connected by reason of geography and race, but also because Widodo must have thought that visiting Marcos before he steps down as president of Indonesia is an occasion he could not forgo, given the long history of friendly political and trade relations between the two neighbors.
Malacañang Palace said the two leaders had a “fruitful and honest discussion” on Wednesday about issues confronting the Asia-Pacific region, including maritime tension in the South China Sea. Marcos himself said they discussed “regional events of mutual interest, such as the developments in the South China Sea and ASEAN cooperation and initiative.”
‘While Marcos has repeatedly said “unity” will move the country forward… Widodo’s mantra is “stability, stability and stability” in government because without it, no serious investment will come in.’
Widodo was more specific when he added in a joint press conference after his meeting with Marcos that the two countries had agreed to strengthen defense cooperation and agreements on border cooperation. The Indonesian leader said he agreed with Marcos to “expedite revision of joint border patrol and crossing agreements, also to strengthen the defense cooperation, including on military hardware.” The public was allowed a glimpse of this defense and military hardware cooperation when Widodo sought Marcos’ support for a proposal to have the Philippines procure antisubmarine aircraft from his country.
President Marcos said that as neighbors, Indonesia and the Philippines must remain united in addressing the many challenges the region faces. The two nations are founding members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and are closely aligned with the United States.
As the Bongbong-Jokowi meeting was ongoing, relatives and supporters of death convict Mary Jane Veloso were on Mendiola outside the Palace, asking Widodo to pardon or at least give her a stay of execution. It has been 14 years since the Filipino OFW has been on Indonesian death row and previous presidents had interceded for her but to no avail. Although Marcos publicly said he made the same request, the topic was not mentioned in the official release of the meeting, giving the impression that Indonesia takes its rigid anti-drugs laws seriously, and Marcos would not want to belabor the issue.
Widodo will leave office in February 2024. His administration had stellar accomplishments, mainly because he adhered to strategies of governance aimed at making Indonesia a developed country. These are human resources development, infrastructure, bureaucratic reform, economic transformation, and regulatory improvement.
These strategies carried out during the past nine years have pushed Indonesia to become an upper-middle-income country from a middle-income country.
These gains were supported by Jakarta’s effective handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic recovery program, and economic transformation through down streaming of natural resources, among others. Filipino economist and investment banker Stephen Cu-unjieng said this presidential engagement with Indonesia could be even more productive if we can adopt learnings from our southern neighbor, especially in the fields of agriculture and mining.
Another aspect of Indonesian achievements is its strong diplomacy, demonstrated during President Widodo’s leadership in the G20, ASEAN, and the AIS Forum, as well as his country’s role in the UN Security Council and the UN Human Rights Council.
While Marcos has repeatedly said “unity” will move the country forward (it has failed to do so, over the years), Widodo’s mantra is “stability, stability and stability” in government because without it, no serious investment will come in. Jokowi meant government policies should have permanence and continuity for the nation to progress, and if there is a single learning from our Indonesian neighbor that we can adopt, it is this one.
