THE Philippines and Brunei signed two agreements Thursday during a meeting in Malacañang between President Rodrigo Duterte and Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.
The first seeks to promote cooperation in culture and arts by enhancing institutional networking and people-to-people exchanges, a statement from Malacañang said.
The second seeks to foster cooperation in developing Halal products, reducing technical barriers to trade, and facilitating trade in Halal products.
During his opening statement before the signing, Duterte welcomed Bolkiah and the delegates from Brunei.
“Your majesty is the first Asean head of state to visit the Philippines under my administration and this to me imbues our meeting today with great significance,” said Duterte.
“Since my state visit to Brunei in October last year, we have been looking forward to this occasion to reaffirm a partnership that continues to hold great promise,” Duterte said.
Bolkiah said he observed rapid economic development in the Philippines and looked forward to enhancing bilateral relations between the two countries.
In a statement later, Duterte described his talks with Bolkiah as a success.
“We welcome intensified interactions and exchange between our governments and resolve to utilize the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation or JCBC, mechanisms to chart future paths to review the progress that we have made,” he said.
Duterte said these include waging a committed and principled campaign against terrorism, extremism and piracy at sea, and pursuing peace and development in Mindanao.
“As I recognize Brunei’s role in the peace process in the southern Philippines, I sought and received support for efforts to spur and sustain growth in Mindanao,” Duterte said.
Duterte also said the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) can be a model for bringing inclusive development to areas that most need growth to transform lives and communities.
Duterte said the agreements on cooperation in culture and arts and in the Halal industry were steps in the right direction and provide the framework for the two countries to work even more closely together.
Duterte also said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations would make sure that the principle of seeking a peaceful resolution of disputes will be articulated fully.
“This is a collective interest that must be upheld in the implementation of the Declaration of the Code of Conduct and greater progress on the Framework of Code of Conduct in South China Sea,” said Duterte.
“As we seek peace, stability and security in the vital waters of South China Sea, we must remember that we have duties as responsible members of the international community which we must abide,” he said.
He thanked Bolkiah and described their talks as “open and insightful.”
“Once again, His Majesty has demonstrated that he is a true friend of the Philippines. He deserves our utmost respect and admiration,” Duterte said.
Bolkiah said their meetings were an opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues of mutual interest.
“We reaffirm our close and long standing partnership in various areas of cooperation. Our defense links are closer than ever through our participation in the International Monitoring Team in southern Philippines. The ongoing peace initiative will promise a prosperous future for your people and have a far-reaching impact upon our region,” Bolkiah said.
“We also have a strong partnership through our people-to-people exchanges. This is underscored by the goodwill shown by the 23,000 Filipinos who are working and residing in our country,” he said.
“We are grateful for their contributions and continue to welcome them as close friends,” he said.
Bolkiah said they are interested to develop a partnership with the Philippines for investment and the production of Halal products.
On energy, Bolkiah said they agreed to further enhance cooperation by exploring potential downstream and upstream activities.
“We also look forward to our future collaboration in addressing issues on drugs. We believe that both sides will benefit from the exchanges of expertise and best practices in this area,” he said.
As close partners in Asean, Bolkiah said they extend their full support for the Philippines Asean chairmanship and look forward to a successful year under Duterte’s leadership.
“We will continue working closely particularly as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Asean this year. We will take this opportunity to reflect on our past achievements and share our views on the way forward for the future,” he said.
“At the same time, we also look forward to further opportunities for closer cooperation under the BIMP-EAGA. As envisioned for 2025, it is important for us to develop a resilient and competitive sub-region. I am confident that under your chairmanship we will be able to achieve our common goals for BIMP-EAGA,” said Bolkiah.
Duterte will host another state visit today (April 28), by Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
“The state visit of His Majesty Sultan Bolkiah of Brunei scheduled on April 27 and the state visit of Indonesian President Widodo scheduled on April 28 are excellent opportunities for the Philippines to further strengthen bilateral relations with our Asean neighbors. President Duterte will separately discuss with Sultan Bolkiah and President Widodo issues of common concern, such as security of our sea lanes, cross-border traffic and patrol, and economic cooperation,” said presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella.
“The President can also be expected to discuss the situation of Filipino workers in these countries, including the case of Mary Jane Veloso,” said Abella, referring to a the Filipina who was sentenced to death in October 2010 after she was caught with 2.6 kilos of heroin at a Jakarta airport.
In an interview in ANC, Widodo said he was not ruling out clemency for Veloso, but said it would depend on prevailing laws in his country and how the court would rule on the case.
“I respect the prevailing laws and regulations in Indonesia. Same thing goes for Mary Jane Veloso’s case,” he said.
Widodo also stressed the need to protect migrant workers while not compromising ties of Southeast Asian countries.
“Indonesia respects the rights of Mary Jane and I know, Mary Jane is also facing cases in the Philippines. Therefore, the cooperation between the governments of the Indonesia and the Philippines is very important in resolving this issue,” he said.
Indonesia stopped Veloso’s execution in 2015 after the Philippine government said her testimony would be vital in the case against her alleged illegal recruiters, Maria Cristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao.
But in a recent development in Veloso’s case, the Court of Appeals, in a resolution dated March 24, granted the petition of her recruiters, who argued that securing Veloso’s written deposition would be prejudicial to their rights to confront witnesses face to face.
Veloso’s mother, Celia, went to Malacañang on Wednesday to press the Duterte administration to make sure that her daughter will be spared from execution in light of the new developments in her case here.
