Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario had a press conference with US Secretary of State John Kerry prior to their meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia. Different state representtives are in Indonesia for the inauguration of Joko Widodo, new President of Indonesia, yesterday, October 20. Kerry also used the opportunity to hold meetings with state leaders to strengthen campaign against Islamic State extremists.
In their joint press conference, a question regarding the involvement of a US Marine in a the killing of a Filipino transgender was raised. “Whatever charges there are, whatever infractions have been affected by any American anywhere, we believe in the rule of law, and we believe in our agreement,” Kerry said.
“We will, indeed, uphold our agreements with our friends in the Philippines – they deserve nothing less.”