Agato Simamora, assistant deputy for Immigration Service Strategy at the Coordinating Ministry for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections, said the desk is expected to deliver practical recommendations and provide technical guidance to resolve citizenship disputes.
“Thousands of people of Indonesian descent in the Philippines and Filipino descent in Indonesia still face unclear citizenship status,” Simamora said in a statement.
He said undocumented descendants from both countries remain vulnerable to exploitation, lack access to education and face inadequate legal protection.
The issue dates back to the Indonesia–Philippines Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation signed in 2014, which required both governments to resolve legality questions. But progress has been slow.
“Their hereditary existence without legal status makes their position very vulnerable,” Simamora said.
He reported that the Philippine government has verified 374 descendants of Filipino citizens in North Sulawesi as Philippine nationals, with plans for bilateral meetings to issue official passports.
To speed up solutions, Indonesian officials convened a coordination meeting in Jakarta on Sept. 1 with ministries, local governments, North Sulawesi representatives and the Philippine Embassy.
The following day, the government established the special desk, which will be divided into units handling law and administration, immigration, population, and bilateral diplomacy.
The ministry’s deputy for immigration and corrections, I Nyoman Gede Surya Mataram, said the initiative reflects both countries’ shared commitment to resolving statelessness.
“This is not merely about population administration, but also basic human rights. The state must ensure no one lives without identity or legal protection,” he said.
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Translator: Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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