12-1-2024 (JAKARTA) President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and a limited delegation left for Vietnam from the Colonel Jesus Villamor Air Base in Manila on Thursday afternoon, concluding his official agenda in the Philippines.
Officials from both the Philippines and Indonesia bid farewell to President Widodo at the air base, including Carlito Galvez Jr., the Filipino presidential adviser on peace, reconciliation, and unity, and Agus Widjojo, the Indonesian Ambassador to the Philippines, according to the Presidential Secretariat in Jakarta.
President Widodo arrived in the Philippines on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, and engaged in several meetings with high-ranking Filipino officials during his visit, including President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday, January 10.
“I am grateful to God that today I concluded my state visit to the Philippines at the invitation of President Marcos Jr. Yesterday, I attended a successful bilateral meeting with His Excellency President Marcos Jr.,” Widodo stated in Manila.
Earlier on Thursday, the Indonesian President held meetings with Jaime Bautista, the Filipino Secretary of Transportation, and Gilberto Eduardo Gerardo C. Teodoro Jr., the Secretary of National Defense.
During the meeting with Secretary Bautista, President Widodo expressed his appreciation for the Philippines’ support and trust in Indonesian state-owned enterprises (SOEs), specifically construction firms PT PP and PT Adhi Karya.
Recently, the two construction SOEs signed joint venture contracts with the Filipino government for the development of the North-South Commuter Railway Project in the Philippines.
In his meeting with Defense Secretary Teodoro Jr., Widodo thanked the Philippines for recognizing and placing confidence in defense equipment products manufactured in Indonesia.
“I firmly believe that with proper management, Indonesian SOEs, including those in the creative and defense sectors, will be able to enhance their competitiveness in the global arena,” he stated before departing for Vietnam.
Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi, SOEs Minister Erick Thohir, Chief of the Presidential Staff Office Moeldoko, and other officials accompanied President Widodo on his trip to Vietnam.
