PHL, Indonesia hold talks to revive Mindanao RoRo

THE Philippines and Indonesia held talks to revive a cargo service connecting Mindanao and Bitung, Indonesia, which was suspended shortly after its launch last year due to lack of demand.

In a statement, the Philippine Embassy in Jakarta said Ambassador Leehiong Tan Wee met with his counterpart, Indonesian Ambassador to Manila Sinyo Harry Sarundajang on July 13, in part to discuss the revival of the Davao

City- General Santos City-Bitung roll-on, roll-off (RoRo) cargo service.

The RoRo service is intended to spark trade between the two countries by bypassing the usual Manila- to-Java trade routes, which are more expensive and indirect. Instead it hopes to build up direct trading links between Mindanao and regions of Indonesia near it, such as the island of Sulawesi across the Celebes Sea.

The RoRo service was launched by President Rodrigo R. Duterte and Indonesian President Joko Widodo on April 30, 2017, between Davao City and General Santos and Bitung in North Sulawesi.

In the statement, the embassy said Philippine-Indonesia trade was $ 7 billion in 2017, with Indonesia rising to the Philippines’ 9th-leading trading partner from 11th in 2015, when trade was $ 4 billion.

Following the meeting between the ambassadors in Manila, Mr. Wee consulted with stakeholders including the Management Association of the Philippines, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Federation of Filipino- Chinese Chambers of Commerce.

He also met with airlines to explore the establishment of a direct air route between Davao and Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi.