PIER 15, South Harbor – Kapal perang Republik Indonesia (KRI, Naval Vessel of the Republic of Indonesia) “Bima Suci” (945), an Indonesian training ship, docked in Manila on Monday for a four-day goodwill visit aimed at strengthening further the relations between the two Southeast Asian countries.
Commander Jeffrey Magbanua, executive officer of the Assistant Chief of Naval Staff for Civil Military Operations, led the Philippine Navy (PN) delegates in welcoming the 192-member Indonesian Navy contingent led by Lieutenant Colonel Waluyo, commanding officer of the KRI Bima Suci.
“The presence of this Indonesian Navy vessel, led by Lt. Col Waluyo and its 103 Indonesia Naval Cadets and 89 officers and crew contingent, underscores the relationship between our government and navies,” Magbanua said.
“This trumpets the Philippine Navy’s commitment in promoting naval diplomacy and camaraderie and fostering goodwill with our Indonesian Navy counterparts,” he added.
The Philippines and Indonesia have established a long history of defense cooperation.
Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1949, Indonesia has been one of the closest allies of the Philippines.
The Philippine Navy said both countries have supported each other’s policies in the region such as democracy and the rule of law in the South China Sea.
In fact, a trilateral maritime cooperation agreement on border security was finalized in Kuala Lumpur in 2018 between the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia to prevent lawless elements such as pirates, smugglers, and foreign and local terrorists from using the southern backdoor as their entry and exit points to and from the three countries.
“We know that in the ASEAN, we have so many issues regarding our maritime sector such as piracy, areas dispute and fisheries,” Waluyo stated.
“The cooperation is part of Indonesia’s commitments to participate in maintaining security in the Southeast Asia which focuses on capacity building in supporting the peace missions and maintaining border and maritime securities,” he said. (Martin Sadongdong)
