Pubdate: Mon, 09 Feb 2015
Source: Manila Standard Today (Philippines)
Copyright: 2015 Manila Standard Today
Contact:  http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3450
Author: Joyce Pangco Panares

WIDODO STARTS VISIT; PINAY DRUG MULE'S FATE HANGS

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

Widodo arrived at the Villamor Air Base at 5 pm at the invitation of
President Benigno Aquino III.

He and Aquino will sign four agreements, including one on anti-drug
trafficking during his two-day state visit.

"Four agreements will be signed: memoranda of understanding on
cooperation in combating narcotics, cooperation in technical vocation
education and training, cooperation in education, research and
training in the field of defense studies, as well as a joint
declaration on the protection of migrants and migrant workers,"
Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said.

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

However, his visit comes as the Philippines tries to prevent the
execution of a female national facing death by firing squad in
Indonesia after being convicted of smuggling heroin.

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 combating 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 the rising
tensions between Manila and Beijing over the 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 Aseaj
(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.
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MAP posted-by: Matt