An Overview of Philippines-Indonesia Bilateral Relations
An Overview of Philippines-Indonesia Bilateral Relations
History shows that Philippine-Indonesian relations began as
early as the pre-colonial times when trade, commerce, and
transmigration flourished between our peoples. Over the
centuries, a genuine sense of brotherhood between Filipinos and
Indonesians developed through the movement of peoples, goods, and
ideas between the two archipelagos. The deep roots of Philippine-
Indonesian relations are evident not only in the similarity
between Filipino, the national language of the Philippines, and
Bahasa Indonesia but more so in shared values such as a high
regard for family, religion, and tradition.
Diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Indonesia
were established on 24 November 1949. On that date, the
Philippine Legation in Jakarta, which later became the Philippine
Embassy, opened to the public for business. A few months later,
the Indonesian Embassy was established in Manila. The Philippines
is currently represented in Indonesia by His Excellency Rafael E.
Seguis.
Since 1949, the two countries have signed more than 30
bilateral agreements covering a wide range of areas of
cooperation. These include the four bilateral agreements on the
areas of tourism, fisheries, energy supply and development, and
protection and promotion of investments signed during the state
visit to Indonesia of Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal
Arroyo in November 2001 as well as the memorandum of
understanding concerning migrant workers signed in January 2003.
The Philippines and Indonesia have supported each other's
interests and national goals. Indonesia played a crucial role in
the conclusion of the peace agreement between the Philippine
government and the Moro National Liberation Front in 1996,
helping end more than two decades of armed confrontation.
Indonesia continues to support the peace process in Southern
Philippines in its capacity as chairman of the OIC Ministerial
Committee of the Eight. After the 12 October 2002 bombings in
Bali, the Philippines immediately deployed a medical team
composed of burn experts on a humanitarian mission to Bali.
Recently, the Philippines responded positively to the request for
Philippine officers to work under the Joint Security Committee
(JSC) in monitoring the implementation of the Cessation of
Hostilities Agreement in Aceh.
The two countries remain supportive of each other in various
multilateral fora: e.g., the United Nations and its agencies,
ASEAN, APEC, ARF, and ASEM, among other fora. The Philippines
readily accepted Indonesia's invitation to be a member of the
Southwest Pacific Dialogue, a new forum for discussions on
regional issues and on possible sub-regional responses to present
and future challenges.
In an increasingly globalized world, the Philippines and
Indonesia have joined hands with other countries in addressing
issues with domestic and international implications. In May 2002,
the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia signed the Agreement on
Information Exchange and the Establishment of Communication
Procedures aimed at facilitating cooperation on border and
security incidents, terrorism, and other transnational crimes.
Cambodia and Thailand later acceded to the Agreement. The
bombings in Bali highlighted the need for intensified cooperation
in the fight against terrorism and transnational crimes in the
region, resulting in Manila's hosting of the Multilateral
Simulation Exercise on Terrorism and Transnational Crimes and
Jakarta's hosting of the ASEAN Workshop on Combating Terrorism in
January 2003.
In the economic sphere, two-way trade between the Philippines
and Indonesia amounted to US$946 million in 2002, reflecting a
six percent increase from the 2001 figure of US$ 892 million.
Philippine exports to Indonesia in 2002 reached US$201 million,
consisting mainly of dairy products, semiconductor parts and
accessories of motor vehicles and machineries. Philippine imports
from Indonesia-mainly copper ores and concentrates, transport
equipment, coal, petroleum products, and paper products-amounted
to US$745 million. As of February 2003, there are 49 Philippine-
Indonesian joint venture companies operating in Indonesia. These
companies are involved in the production of food and beverages,
pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, shoes, electronics, and furniture as
well as in management consulting services.
Indonesia is also home to around 5,000 Filipino expatriates
and their families. Many of the expatriates work as executives,
managers, and technical consultants in local and multinational
companies.
The Philippines is optimistic that Indonesia will remain a
close and steadfast partner in the coming years. The Philippines
will certainly do its utmost to ensure that the gains and inroads
already achieved in the various areas of Philippines-Indonesia
bilateral relations shall be enhanced for the mutual advancement
of both countries. Imbued with common values and pursuing the
same goals of growth and development, the Philippines and
Indonesia can work together and achieve tremendous results for
their future generations.