RIYADH, 23 April 2006 — Arrangements are being made for a visit by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to Saudi Arabia early next month, Philippine officials here and in Manila have said.
Ambassador Bahnarim A. Guinomla said on Wednesday night that an advance team is currently in the Kingdom to arrange with local authorities the details of Arroyo’s visit.
The team is headed by Ambassador Marciano A. Paynor Jr, chief of the presidential protocol and presidential assistant on foreign affairs, and special envoy Antonio P. Villamor.
Yesterday in Manila, presidential Chief of Staff Michael Defensor said Arroyo hopes to discuss oil issues with Saudi officials in the light of spiraling world market oil prices.
Tension between the United States and Iran and rebel attacks in Nigeria have driven up crude prices in recent days. Iran and Nigeria are among the world’s major sources of oil.
Nigeria, Africa’s biggest oil exporter has already had output cut by 20 percent due to attacks early this year on its foreign-owned oil installations.
Arroyo’s planned visit to Saudi Arabia last year to ask the Kingdom for an “affordable supply of oil” did not push through.
The Arroyo administration has been implementing energy conservation measures and exploring alternative energy sources to cushion the impact of soaring oil prices.
Officials said Arroyo also hopes to meet with the Filipino community in the Kingdom, which, at an estimated 900,000, is the second biggest after that of the United States.
Saudi Arabia is the biggest source of oil for the Philippines. Petron, the largest oil supplier in the Philippines, is co-owned by Saudi Aramco.
