MARCOS ARRIVES IN RIYADH, SET TO PARTICIPATE IN 1ST ASEAN-GCC

RIYADH TRIP. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. delivers his departure speech at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on Thursday (Oct. 19, 2023) as he embarks on a trip to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to participate in the inaugural Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit on Oct. 19-21, 2023. Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil said the President and his delegation, on board a chartered flight, arrived at the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh at around 12:56 p.m. (PNA photo by Rolando Mailo)

Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Thursday to participate in the 1st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit, according to an announcement from Malacañang.

Marcos and the official Philippine delegation, aboard PR001, touched down at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport around 12:56 p.m., as confirmed by Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil.

Upon arrival, the President’s agenda included a roundtable meeting with prominent Saudi business leaders, as noted by Garafil.

Marcos is slated to partake in the inaugural ASEAN-GCC Summit on Friday, during which he will engage in discussions regarding the imperative to address significant geopolitical developments. He will underscore the significance of bolstering security, economic advancement, and socio-cultural cooperation between ASEAN and the GCC.

In a pre-departure statement given at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on the same day, Marcos underscored the significance of the ASEAN-GCC Summit as a pivotal platform for the Philippines to advocate for collaboration in the domains of energy, food security, and trade. Additionally, he expressed his commitment to safeguarding the rights of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

GCC countries, including Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates, are home to approximately 2.2 million Filipinos employed in critical sectors.

Marcos also pledged to support a rules-based international order aimed at preserving peace, security, and stability in both regions. His itinerary also includes meetings with the Filipino community in Riyadh and bilateral discussions with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

Diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and the Philippines were established on October 24, 1969. The Philippines established a mission in Jeddah in December 1973, while the Saudi government opened an embassy in Manila a year later.

Despite a declining trend since 2016, the kingdom remains the third-largest source of remittances from OFWs. In 2020, remittances totaled approximately USD 1.8 billion, representing a 14 percent decrease compared to the USD 2.1 billion received in 2019. A majority of these remittances came from land-based OFWs.

(ai/mnm)