MANILA, Philippines – KAPUWA nilagdaan ng Pilipinas at Indonesia ang Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) ukol sa energy cooperation, naglalayong tiyakin ang energy security ng dalawang nasabing bansa.
Nagpalitan sa pagpirma sa MOUs sina Foreign Affairs Minister Enrique Manalo at Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi sa presensiya nina Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Marcos at President Joko Widodo sa President’s Hall sa Palasyo ng Malakanyang.
Si Widodo ay nasa bansa para sa three-day official visit.
Sa idinaos na joint press briefing kasama si Widodo, sinabi ni Pangulong Marcos na ang MOU ay bunga ng matagumpay na pag-uusap ng Pilipinas at Indonesia sa pamamagitan ng Department of Energy (DOE) at Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources ng Indonesia.
“Our Ministries have worked hard and today we saw one of these works bear fruit as we witnessed the signing of the MOU on the Cooperation in the Field of Energy. Through this MOU, our countries create a new synergy as we cooperate to achieve energy security,” ayon sa Punong Ehekutibo.
Sa isang kalatas, sinabi naman ni DOE Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla na ang paglagda sa MOU sa pagitan ng Pilipinas at Indonesia ay “reinforces and updates” ang long-term energy cooperation sa pagitan ng dalawang bansa.
“On the part of the Philippines, it is an offshoot of our President’s efforts to achieve higher energy security through energy diplomacy,” ayon pa sa Kalihim.
Sa ilalim ng MOU, nagkasundo ang Pilipinas at Indonesia na gawing madali ang pagtutulungan sa pagitan ng kani-kanilang business sectors partikular na sa panahon ng “critical supply’ sa energy commodities gaya ng uling at liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Nag-aalok din ang MOU ng potential benefits sa “economic, environmental at geopolitical dimensions” sa pamamagitan ng kolaborasyon ukol sa “energy transition, renewable energy, demand-side management, electric vehicles at alternative fuels Gaya ng hydrogen, ammonia, at biofuels.
Tinukoy pa rin ni Lotilla na ang Pilipinas at Indonesia ay “share common energy concerns” at maaaring makinabang mula sa pinaigting na “levels of cooperation.”
Samantala, kapuwa naman ipinag-utos nina Pangulong Marcos at Widodo sa kani-kanilang kinauukulang ahensiya na bilisan ang paglagda sa makabuluhang MOUs na makatutulong na “i-unlock” ang economic potential ng Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao upang maging matagumpay ang paglago sa rehiyon.
“So today, we also recognize Indonesia’s contribution to peace and development in the southern Philippines. As Mindanao continues to reap the dividends of peace and democracy, we hope that Indonesia will continue to extend its helping hand to building the institutions of local governments, particularly in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region,” ayon kay Pangulong Marcos.
“Our shared historic roots are deep and thank you to our close kinship and our cultural ties that we continue to promote and we continue to allow to prosper,” ayon pa rin sa Pangulo sabay sabing “The Philippines and Indonesia enjoy this affinity for one another. As such, our exchanges and discussions about ways to deepen our political and economic ties have come naturally.” Kris Jose
