LIVE UPDATES: Marcos’ state visits to Indonesia, Singapore

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he and Indonesian President Joko Widodo agreed during a meeting on Monday, September 4, that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should take a prominent role in facing a volatile geopolitical landscape both within the region and the rest of the world. 

“We agreed that ASEAN is going to be the lead agent in the changes that we would like to see in continuing to bring peace to our countries. And again the assistances that we have received from Indonesia have been a very important part of that,” Marcos said. 

As President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. met Indonesian President Joko Widodo, the Philippine leader praised the close relationship between the two countries, describing Indonesians not only as neighbors but as “kin.” 

Marcos said among the reasons he chose to make Indonesia his inaugural trip was because it was a strong partner the Philippines could rely on as it recovered from the pandemic and faced challenges in the region. 

“That is why we go once again to our friends, to our partners around the world, especially in the region, especially together what we spoke about the ASEAN member countries and the common concerns that we share…. It’s those partnerships, I believe, that will keep the stability of all of our plans and what we are hoping to do in the next few years,” Marcos said on Monday, September 4. 

“We consider Indonesians not only a neighbor, not only a friend, but kin.”

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s first state visit, from September 4 to 6, is to Southeast Asian neighbor Indonesia, a country the Philippines has had diplomatic relations with for over 70 years.

According to a release from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Marcos and Indonesian President Joko Widodo are “expected to discuss the two countries’ active and multi-faceted cooperation on defense, maritime, border, economic, and people-to-people cooperation” and “exchange views on major issues affecting the region and the world.” 

Indonesia, the largest economy in Southeast Asia, was the Philippines’ 8th largest trading partner in 2021, according to the Department of Trade and Industry.

Read this to know more about the relations between the two countries.

Top diplomats of the Philippines and Indonesia meet during Marcos’ state visit to Indonesia.

Manalo and Marsudi will be signing the Philippines-Indonesia Plan of Action on behalf of both countries. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs listed the following key agreements that will be signed with Indonesia during Marcos’ first state visit: 

• Philippines-Indonesia Plan of Action – A comprehensive five-year roadmap for cooperation between the two countries until 2027 
• Renewal of agreement on defense and security cooperative activities – First signed in 1997, the deal is considered the “motherhood framework” for all defense and security cooperation between the countries 
• Memorandum of understanding on cultural cooperation – To promote exchange and deepen understanding through cultural activities, and to promote culture-related industries

Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles and Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople, upon arriving in Jakarta, led a meeting to discuss the agenda of Marcos’ visit and the government’s plans for overseas Filipino workers, according to a post on Angeles’ Facebook page.

Angeles and Ople were among the Cabinet officials who joined Marcos on his first state visit. With him too were his economic managers.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. meets with the Filipino community at the Fairmont Jakarta Hotel in Indonesia on Sunday, September 4.

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In scenes reminiscent of 2022 Uniteam campaign rallies, Marcos met with Filipinos – many of them longtime OFWs – at a hotel ballroom in Indonesia. The pre-event host, dressed in red from head to toe and wearing a Marcos-Duterte jacket (which he eventually gave to the audience as a prize), hyped the crowd as campaign songs played in the background. 

“We dream that the day will come that Filipinos will only travel abroad to work because it is their choice [and] not because they have no other options,” said Marcos, flanked by members of his Cabinet.  

The Presidential Security Group said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrived in Jakarta, Indonesia at 12:35 pm on Sunday, September 4, for his first state visit. Marcos will be in Indonesia until Tuesday, September 6.