Indonesian President Joko Widodo will arrive in the country today (Jan. 9) for a three-day official visit.
He will have a meeting with President Marcos on Wednesday at the Palace, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
In previous engagements, Mr. Marcos and Widodo discussed the case of Filipina Mary Jane Veloso, who is still on Indonesia’s death row for drug-related cases.
Veloso’s case as well as President Marcos’ call for a binding Code of Conduct for the South China Sea are likely to be discussed during Widodo’s visit.
“The two leaders are also expected to reaffirm their commitment to deepening and expanding Philippines-Indonesia ties, especially as the two countries will celebrate their 75th anniversary of formal diplomatic relations in November 2024,” the DFA said.
Last year, President Marcos flew to Indonesia twice to participate in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summits in May and September.
Widodo’s visit marks his final travel to Manila as Indonesian president as he is set to retire from politics next month with Indonesia’s general election in February.
Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo will meet two foreign top diplomats in Manila before flying to at least three countries to raise the Philippines’ position on various global issues.
Manalo will sit down with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi for the 7th Philippines-Indonesian Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) and with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who will be in Manila from Jan. 11 to 12 as part of her visit to the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
DFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said Manalo will also be flying to Uganda for the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit, to Laos for ASEAN Foreign Ministers Retreat and to Belgium for ASEAN-European Union Summit.
“This will be a hectic first quarter. As you see, we’ve started with several visits and meetings already, and that will continue for the first quarter,” Daza said.