Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go said he would suggest to President Rodrigo Duterte to discuss the issue of detained Filipinos in Indonesia when the Chief Executive meets Indonesian President Joko Widodo on the sideline of the 32nd Asean Summit in Singapore this month.
The Indonesian Navy turned over the Filipino repatriates on April 13, three days after the conduct of boarder patrol exercises (Corpat Philindo 18) in Indonesia.
They were detained in Indonesia for illegal entry, fishing and overstaying.
Go, who welcomed the Filipino repatriates, said there are still a number of Filipino fishermen languishing in Indonesian jails after they were arrested for intruding into Indonesian waters.
“The government will address the matter at the Asean meeting to speed up the process of repatriation for the remaining Filipino fishermen detained in Indonesia,” Go said.
He said many Filipino fishermen did not know they were already intruding into foreign territories and they need to learn the territorial border to avoid being arrested.
Go also said that President Duterte wants to establish an office that will prioritize the concerns and needs of fishermen to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
Duterte’s close aide said he was also talking with Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano to expedite the repatriation process of other Filipinos in Indonesia.