His Excellency President Joko Widodo; Madame Iriana Widodo; esteemed members of the Indonesian delegation; my co-workers in government; ladies and gentlemen.

Good evening and welcome back to Manila, Mr. President. I am pleased and honored to host this dinner for a true friend of the Philippines.

I speak of course of Indonesia, with whom the Philippines has had nearly seven decades of formal diplomatic relations. 

This is among the oldest of my country’s ties with another nation but our relations go back way to the centuries of interaction and exchange that continue to nurture special bonds of friendship and kinship.

Indeed more than neighbors and friends, the Philippines consider Indonesia a family.

President Widodo’s State Visit to Manila reaffirms the deep historical ties that bind our nations and peoples.

President Widodo’s presence here allow us to renew the common commitment to chart a shared future of greater cooperation.

As archipelagoes and developing countries, Indonesia and the Philippines face similar challenges.

Increased cooperation of maritime issues is among the areas where a strategic calibration is called for.

In today’s meeting, we covered a wide range of issues including matters pertaining to our political security and economic relations. 

Views were exchanged on pressing regional developments. Through collaboration, these concerns including terrorism, violent extremism, piracy at the sea and the illegal drug trade can be addressed.

We will move forward together in pursuit of greater peace, progress and prosperity for our peoples.

Certainly, our work is not yet over. Tomorrow, we tackle issues that await our broader ASEAN region.

We are heartened by Indonesia’s expression of support for the Philippines’ ASEAN Chairmanship and we stand ready to work with you to ensure that ASEAN remains strong and the core driving force of an emerging regional architecture. 

Excellency, you will agree that our shared historic experiences, the Philippines and Indonesia rightly treat each other as brothers.

In my State Visit to Jakarta last year, that much was evident in the warmth of the reception you gave me and my delegation.

Today, we reaffirmed the meaningful brotherhood that has withstood the test of time.

Today, we reinforced the strong foundation upon which our relations were solidly built.

On this note, I propose a toast:

To the good health and well-being of His Excellency Joko Widodo, his wife, Madame Iriana Widodo and their family;

To the further development of the Republic of Indonesia and the continued prosperity of its citizens and to further deepening of our two countries’ fraternal ties.

May our brotherhood extend to even more greater cooperation as we pursue our common goals of peace, prosperity, and progress for our peoples.

Mabuhay! 

—END—