Marcos on Indonesia state visit: It’s more productive than what we expected

SINGAPORE — President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said his recent trip to Indonesia became more productive than expected following the discussions and deals made during his state visit there.

"I think I would describe the trip as extreme – more productive that we had expected," Marcos told reporters in Indonesia before leaving for his state visit here.

"The things that we planned to talk about with the President of Indonesia, President Joko Widodo lahat ng issues that we expected to be raised with us, na hindi naman siya, but the subjects that we expected to be raised, we did. Pero nalampasan namin ‘yung plano. We started talking about other things," he added.

Marcos said he and President Joko Widodo also discussed what they would do in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Conference in November, including the positions that Indonesia and the Philippines will take.

Four agreements on economy, culture, and defense were signed Monday during Marcos' visit there:

• Plan of Action between the Government of Republic of Indonesia and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines from 2022 to 2027, presented by Minister for Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi and DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo;
• Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Republic of Indonesia and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines on Cultural Cooperation, presented by Minister for Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi and DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo;
• Agreement on Cooperative Activities in the Field of Defense and Security between the Government of Republic of Indonesia and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines, presented by the Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto and Senior Undersecretary of the Department of Defense Jose Faustino Jr.; and
• Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation in the Development and Promotion of Creative Economy between the Government of Republic of Indonesia and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines, presented by Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno and DTI Secretary Alfredo Pascual.

Marcos also said he and President Jokowi agreed to organize task forces which will discuss even at a technical level to work on strengthening their ties.

The President arrived here past noontime for another state visit. — RSJ, GMA News