Marcos flying to Indonesia for Prabowo inauguration

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. was set to travel to Jakarta, Indonesia, on Saturday afternoon to attend the inauguration of President-elect Prabowo Subianto on Sunday, Malacañang said.

First Lady Louise "Liza" Araneta-Marcos will accompany Marcos, who received an invitation from outgoing Indonesian President Joko Widodo, the father of Vice President-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka.

''The President's attendance [at] the inauguration also signifies the Philippines' sincere commitment to further expand and deepen bilateral relations,'' the Presidential Communications Office said in a statement. 

His travel to Indonesia came just more than a week after his participation in the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Lao PDR.

In September, Marcos received Prabowo at the Malacañang Palace.

In the exchange of pleasantries, Marcos told Prabowo that it bodes well for the Philippines and Indonesia that the latter chose Manila as one of his first foreign visits as an elected state leader.

Marcos’ first foreign trip after assuming the presidency in 2022 was to Indonesia.

Indonesian police and military started deploying at least 100,000 personnel across Jakarta on Friday, ahead of the inauguration.

The roughly 100,000 personnel in Jakarta will include snipers and anti-riot units and will stay in place until Wednesday, said military chief Agus Subianto.

During previous important events in Jakarta, security personnel have been placed in key areas such as the parliamentary building where the inauguration takes place, the presidential palace, and Jakarta's main roads.

On Friday, at least two thousand military personnel were taking part in security drills at Jakarta's National Monument complex, with dozens of military light tactical vehicles on the ground.

"We need to be alert about possible threats before, during, and after the inauguration," said Agus.

The security forces are expected to escort 36 state leaders who will attend the inauguration, Agus said, without giving further details.

The Indonesian Air Force will also deploy four F-16 jets to guard aircraft carrying foreign dignitaries attending the inauguration, state news agency Antara reported.

Hundreds of people are expected to gather in Jakarta's streets to welcome Prabowo as the new president and say farewell to Jokowi, said police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo.  — with a report from Reuters/VBL, GMA Integrated News