INDONESIAN President Joko Widodo arrived in Manila on Tuesday evening, January 9, 2024, for his three-day official visit in the Philippines.
On Wednesday, January 10, Widodo went to Malacañang for a bilateral meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that aims to deepen the relationship with the two neighboring countries.
Marcos, along with several high-ranking government agencies, welcomed Widodo and his delegation at the Kalayaan Grounds in Malacañan Palace before signing the guest book at the Reception Hall.
The Philippines and Indonesia are set to celebrate their 75th anniversary of their formal diplomatic relations in November.
On the sidelines of the 42nd Association of Southeast Asian Nation (Asean) Summit and Related Summits in Indonesia, Marcos discussed with Widodo the case of Mary Jane Veloso, the Filipina worker who was sentenced to death in Indonesia over drug trafficking conviction.
Marcos said the Philippines is continuously asking either for grant of executive clemency, pardon, commutation of sentence, or even extradition to serve her sentence in the Philippines for Veloso. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)