President Rodrigo Duterte will be spending the Holy Week on three Middle Eastern countries —Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar—where he is expected to pursue efforts to strengthen the protection of the rights and welfare of more than a million Filipinos working there.
The President’s state visit seeks to boost economic ties with the three oil-rich countries, and hopes to tap into their $500 billion combined investment capital to bring home more businesses and jobs for Filipinos, according to Assistant Secretary Hjayceelyn Quintana of the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Office of Middle East and African Affairs.
“He will invite these countries to invest, particularly in Mindanao, as a way of lifting Mindanao out of both poverty and conflict,” Quintana said in a press briefing in Malacañang.
The President also hopes to forge partnerships on halal food security, Islamic finance, energy security and tourism development.
He will seek cooperation on matters of security, countering terrorism, and combating illicit drugs as well as witness the signing of agreements on labor, agriculture, air services, culture, health and political bilateral consultations.
As in his every foreign trip, he will address the members of the Filipino community. There are about 760,000 Filipinos in Saudi Arabia, 60,000 in Bahrain and 250,000 in Qatar.
“The President hopes to inspire people making a living in these countries to help him build a more developed and economically vibrant Philippines,” Quintana said.
The first stop in Mr. Duterte’s three-country swing is Riyadh in Saudi Arabia from April 10 to 12, where he is expected to meet with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
The next stop is Bahrain’s capital Manama from April 12 to 14, where he will meet with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. In Doha, Qatar, where he will visit from April 14 to 16, he will also have an audience with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.
Regarding Filipinos on death row in the Middle East, she said the DFA has given information about the cases to the President.
There are 31 Filipinos on death row in Saudi Arabia, and one in Bahrain. Many of them have been sentenced for murder.