Flags of Saudi Arabia and the Philippines. INQUIRER.net FILES
MANILA, Philippines (Updated) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrived in Saudi Arabia on Thursday evening to attend the first-ever Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Gulf Cooperation Council Summit (Asean-GCC) on Friday.
Marcos left the Philippines Thursday morning after telling his Cabinet secretaries in a pre-departure speech that he plans to champion the welfare of overseas Filipino workers during his Saudi trip.
The President also said that he plans to talk about security and economy during the visit as these are shared areas of concern of both the Philippines and Saudi Arabia.
“I will meet with Asean and Gulf Cooperation Council Leaders to discuss the challenges of major geopolitical developments and the comprehensive and concrete enhancement of our security, our economic progress, and socio-cultural collaboration after more than 30 years of Asean-GCC relations,” Marcos said in his speech before he left.
READ: Bongbong Marcos leaves for Saudi Arabia
The presidential plane landed at the King Khalid International Airport at 12:56 p.m.
With the President are Cabinet secretaries that include Foreign Affairs chief Enrique Manalo, Trade Sec. Alfredo Pascual, and Presidential Communications head Cheloy Garafil.
From the airport, the President headed to the St. Regis hotel to kick off his activities for a round-table meeting with Saudi business leaders, where he is expected to invite investments to the country.
In a statement, Marcos said he sees the summit as “an important platform for the Philippines to highlight the need for cooperation in energy and food security, logistics, supply chains, digital transformation, the free flow of goods, people, and services, as well as the enhancement and protection of the rights, particularly overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).”
GCC countries are home to an estimated 2.2 million Filipinos working in critical fields. The Philippine leader also promised to emphasize during the Summit the country’s advocacy for a rules-based international order to maintain peace, security, and stability in both regions.
Aside from meeting Arab businesses, Marcos is also scheduled to meet with the Filipino community in Riyadh as part of his visit. Foreign affairs officials said there are also planned bilateral meetings with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.