PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is looking forward to stronger cooperation between the Philippines and Saudi Arabia as he pushed for a possible expansion of partnership in the fields of renewable energy, digital infrastructure and agriculture between the two countries.
Marcos reaffirmed the Philippines’ commitment to boost ties with Saudi Arabia following his meeting with Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, minister of Foreign Affairs, in Malacañang.
“It is part of our commitment to strengthen ties between our nations and to have joint cooperation in various fields such as green energy and digital infrastructure,” Marcos said in a statement posted on his Facebook.
“We are eager to strengthen our ties and broaden our collaboration, particularly in green energy, digital infrastructure and agriculture,” he added.
The President also thanked Prince Faisal for the Saudi government’s appreciation and support for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Middle East nation.
“We expressed our sincere gratitude for their government’s concern for the welfare of our overseas Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
Prince Faisal, for his part, said the kingdom is ready to continue working hand-in-hand with the Philippines on issues of mutual interest.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, Saudi Arabia continues to be the favorite destination of OFWs in 2020, with around 470,820 OFWs based in the kingdom.
This number was 26.6 percent of the estimated 1.77 million OFWs in 2020.
However, the Philippines halted deployment in November 2021 for several reasons, including reported unpaid wages and allegations of abuse.
Early this month, the Department of Migrant Workers announced that the Philippines would lift the said yearlong ban on Nov. 7, 2022, following bilateral talks on how to improve and protect the welfare of OFWs in Saudi Arabia.
The diplomatic relationship between the Philippines and Saudi Arabia was established in October 1969, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.
In 1973, the Republic of the Philippines appointed Ambassador Liningding Pangandaman as its first resident ambassador to Saudi Arabia.