An Overview of Philippines-Indonesia Bilateral Relations<\/p>\n
History shows that Philippine-Indonesian relations began as
\nearly as the pre-colonial times when trade, commerce, and
\ntransmigration flourished between our peoples. Over the
\ncenturies, a genuine sense of brotherhood between Filipinos and
\nIndonesians developed through the movement of peoples, goods, and
\nideas between the two archipelagos. The deep roots of Philippine-
\nIndonesian relations are evident not only in the similarity
\nbetween Filipino, the national language of the Philippines, and
\nBahasa Indonesia but more so in shared values such as a high
\nregard for family, religion, and tradition.<\/p>\n
Diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Indonesia
\nwere established on 24 November 1949. On that date, the
\nPhilippine Legation in Jakarta, which later became the Philippine
\nEmbassy, opened to the public for business. A few months later,
\nthe Indonesian Embassy was established in Manila. The Philippines
\nis currently represented in Indonesia by His Excellency Rafael E.
\nSeguis.<\/p>\n
Since 1949, the two countries have signed more than 30
\nbilateral agreements covering a wide range of areas of
\ncooperation. These include the four bilateral agreements on the
\nareas of tourism, fisheries, energy supply and development, and
\nprotection and promotion of investments signed during the state
\nvisit to Indonesia of Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal
\nArroyo in November 2001 as well as the memorandum of
\nunderstanding concerning migrant workers signed in January 2003.<\/p>\n
The Philippines and Indonesia have supported each other's
\ninterests and national goals. Indonesia played a crucial role in
\nthe conclusion of the peace agreement between the Philippine
\ngovernment and the Moro National Liberation Front in 1996,
\nhelping end more than two decades of armed confrontation.
\nIndonesia continues to support the peace process in Southern
\nPhilippines in its capacity as chairman of the OIC Ministerial
\nCommittee of the Eight. After the 12 October 2002 bombings in
\nBali, the Philippines immediately deployed a medical team
\ncomposed of burn experts on a humanitarian mission to Bali.
\nRecently, the Philippines responded positively to the request for
\nPhilippine officers to work under the Joint Security Committee
\n(JSC) in monitoring the implementation of the Cessation of
\nHostilities Agreement in Aceh.<\/p>\n
The two countries remain supportive of each other in various
\nmultilateral fora: e.g., the United Nations and its agencies,
\nASEAN, APEC, ARF, and ASEM, among other fora. The Philippines
\nreadily accepted Indonesia's invitation to be a member of the
\nSouthwest Pacific Dialogue, a new forum for discussions on
\nregional issues and on possible sub-regional responses to present
\nand future challenges.<\/p>\n
In an increasingly globalized world, the Philippines and
\nIndonesia have joined hands with other countries in addressing
\nissues with domestic and international implications. In May 2002,
\nthe Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia signed the Agreement on
\nInformation Exchange and the Establishment of Communication
\nProcedures aimed at facilitating cooperation on border and
\nsecurity incidents, terrorism, and other transnational crimes.
\nCambodia and Thailand later acceded to the Agreement. The
\nbombings in Bali highlighted the need for intensified cooperation
\nin the fight against terrorism and transnational crimes in the
\nregion, resulting in Manila's hosting of the Multilateral
\nSimulation Exercise on Terrorism and Transnational Crimes and
\nJakarta's hosting of the ASEAN Workshop on Combating Terrorism in
\nJanuary 2003.<\/p>\n
In the economic sphere, two-way trade between the Philippines
\nand Indonesia amounted to US$946 million in 2002, reflecting a
\nsix percent increase from the 2001 figure of US$ 892 million.
\nPhilippine exports to Indonesia in 2002 reached US$201 million,
\nconsisting mainly of dairy products, semiconductor parts and
\naccessories of motor vehicles and machineries. Philippine imports
\nfrom Indonesia-mainly copper ores and concentrates, transport
\nequipment, coal, petroleum products, and paper products-amounted
\nto US$745 million. As of February 2003, there are 49 Philippine-
\nIndonesian joint venture companies operating in Indonesia. These
\ncompanies are involved in the production of food and beverages,
\npharmaceuticals, cosmetics, shoes, electronics, and furniture as
\nwell as in management consulting services.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is also home to around 5,000 Filipino expatriates
\nand their families. Many of the expatriates work as executives,
\nmanagers, and technical consultants in local and multinational
\ncompanies.<\/p>\n
The Philippines is optimistic that Indonesia will remain a
\nclose and steadfast partner in the coming years. The Philippines
\nwill certainly do its utmost to ensure that the gains and inroads
\nalready achieved in the various areas of Philippines-Indonesia
\nbilateral relations shall be enhanced for the mutual advancement
\nof both countries. Imbued with common values and pursuing the
\nsame goals of growth and development, the Philippines and
\nIndonesia can work together and achieve tremendous results for
\ntheir future generations.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/an-overview-of-philippines-indonesia-bilateral-relations-1447899208",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}