Jakarta. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo wants to see the construction of the railway project that Indonesian state-owned enterprises are partaking in the Philippines to kick off soon.

Jokowi met with his Filipino counterpart Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Junior at the Malacañan Palace in Manila on Wednesday. Speaking in a leaders’ joint statement with Bongbong Marcos, Jokowi brought up the North-South Commuter Railway project that the joint venture of state-owned construction enterprises Adhi Karya and PT PP is taking part in.

“I appreciate the Philippines’ trust in Indonesian state-owned enterprises, in the construction of important infrastructures,” Jokowi said as seen in the RTVMalacanang presidential broadcast.

“I believe that we need to expedite the groundbreaking of the North-South Commuter railway project,” Jokowi added.

Marcos did not talk about the commuter railway project at the presser. However, he said that they had productive discussions on bilateral cooperation, as well as on the South China Sea.

“I would like to once again thank President Widodo for finding time to visit with us in the Philippines. [He is] the first head of state I have had the pleasure of receiving in the new year. Welcome once again to the Philippines, your second home,” Bongbong Marcos told Jokowi.

In July 2023, the PT PP and Adhi Karya joint venture inked two contracts on a railway project. The first is the construction of a 1.2-kilometer viaduct -- an elevated rail over a public road -- in the Blumentrit Extension. The second contract is a 5.8-kilometer viaduct with the scope of work encompassing the Bicutan and Sucat areas. Both contracts -- worth totaling 32.59 billion pesos (approximately $578 million) -- are part of the 147-kilometer North-South Commuter Railway. This railway aims to reduce traffic congestion on the major roads in Metro Manila.

Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said that Indonesia’s economic diplomacy had led to many SOEs expanding overseas, including the Philippines. Aside from the Adhi Karya-PT PP joint venture’s tender victory, state-run concrete maker Wijaya Karya Beton announced it had won a railroad project belonging to the Philippines National Railways in 2022.

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