A decades-old agreement between the Philippines and Indonesia is expected to be renewed during President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s inaugural state visit to Indonesia.
Ma. Teresita Daza, spokesperson of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), said Friday that the agreement, the 1997 Agreement on Cooperative Activities in the Field of Defense and Security, will be renewed and "will serve as the mother framework for all defense and security cooperation" between the Philippines and Indonesia.
"It is significant as the defense cooperation between the two countries has actually increased through the years," she said during a pre-departure briefing.
From Sep. 4 to 6, Marcos Jr. will be meeting with President Joko Widodo to discuss various areas of cooperation, including defense and security. It will be Marcos' first ever state visit as the 17th Philippine president.
"Among the collaboration that is being identified are of course cooperation between the defense establishment, engagement in joint and combined training activities, border security exchange of visits, education information sharing development of interoperability, among others," Daza said.
Aside from that, the President's visit is expected to yield a plan of action for the next five years.
Daza said the plan will lay out the two countries' "comprehensive and actionable roadmap for bilateral cooperation."
"It will be a comprehensive document that outlines bilateral commitments," she said.
"Among the areas of cooperation that are being identified are in terms of security and defense, border management, counter terrorism, economy, energy, maritime affairs, culture, education, labor, health and consular matters," she also said.
A memorandum of understanding on cultural cooperation will also be renewed, according to Daza. Its signing be witnessed by Marcos Jr. and Widodo to be signed by the Philippine National Commission for Culture and Arts and the Ministry of Education and Culture of Indonesia.
The consensus, Daza added, hopes to promote people-to-people exchanges and mutual understanding through cultural activities and promotion of cultural-related industries.