Widodo in PH as fate of death row Filipina lingers

Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, walks beside Philippine Air Force Chief Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Delgado upon arrival at the Villamor Air Base in suburban Pasay, south of Manila, Philippines, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015. AP

MANILA, Philippines―Indonesian President Joko Widodo arrived Sunday afternoon in Manila for his first state visit to the Philippines, as the fate of a Filipina facing execution for drug smuggling in his country hovers over planned talks.

Fondly called by Indonesians as “Jokowi,” the Indonesian chief executive arrived at Villamor Airbase at 5:09 p.m and was met by Vice President Jejomar Binay and other Cabinet officials.

Widodo, on the last stop of a three-nation trip after visiting Malaysia and Brunei, will meet with President Benigno Aquino III on Monday with the pair expected to sign several agreements, Malacañang said.

In an interview over state-run radio dzRB on Sunday, Communications Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. said that Widodo and Aquino are expected to talk about issues which are of “mutual concern” which include migrant workers, maritime cooperation, defense, trade and investment, and people-to-people exchanges.

The Indonesian President’s state visit in the country was held amid the deferment of the execution of a Filipina maid convicted of drug smuggling. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has appealed to review the death sentence of the Filipina who was arrested in Yogyakarta Airport in 2010 for carrying 2.6 kilograms of heroin from Malaysia.

A spokesman for Aquino, Edwin Lacierda, said the leaders would discuss drug trafficking but did not say if they would address the case of the woman, who has not been publicly named.

“We are in discussions to further work out cooperation in various areas of mutual interest and concerns, such as migrant workers, technical-vocational skills upgrading, the combatting of trafficking of narcotics, and (for) educational visits,” Lacierda said.

China is also likely to be on the agenda, analysts say, with Indonesia regarded as having a potentially pivotal role in calming rising tensions between Manila and Beijing over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

In August, then-president-elect Widodo told Japan’s Asahi newspaper that Indonesia, which has better bilateral ties with China than the Philippines, stood ready to act as an intermediary.

“Indonesia has the gravitas to be the champion of peace in the Asean (Association of South East Asian Nations). Widodo can also be our partner in our efforts to improve relations with China,” Wilfrido Villacorta, a former Philippine ambassador to Asean, said.

“Even if Indonesia is not a claimant country (in the South China Sea dispute), it has always been playing the role of a convenor of important discussions on the issue since the 1980s,” said Villacorta, now an international relations specialist at De la Salle University in Manila.

The Philippines signed a maritime border accord with neighboring Indonesia in May 2014 that has been hailed as a model for peacefully settling territorial disputes.

Last month, Widodo, who has disappointed rights activists by voicing support for capital punishment, angered several countries by allowing the execution of six offenders on drug charges last month, including five foreigners.

The Catholic-majority Philippines does not have the death penalty.

The fate of Filipinos abroad is a political hot potato in a country where 10 percent of the population is forced to seek work overseas.

Widodo was elected president in October 2014, replacing Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who held the post for 10 years. With a report from Agence France-Presse

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