RIYADH, 15 July — Philippine Ambassador Rafael E. Seguis said here yesterday that the Philippine Embassy was awaiting an official report from Manila regarding the deportation of seven Saudis from Manila airport last Tuesday. The report is expected tomorrow after the two-day weekend holidays.
Seguis added, “A check of the visa records at the embassy and the consulate has begun in order to learn more about this incident.” Immigration authorities at Manila airport turned back seven Saudi nationals on grounds of their alleged links to Abu Sayyaf group, saying that the seven persons expressed their intention to visit the troubled southern island of Mindanao.
The ambassador said, “I am not in a position to speak in detail about this sorry episode as I am waiting for an official communication.” Saudi Arabia, he said, is a friendly country with which Philippines had always been seeking to strengthen ties. Thousands of Saudis travel to the Philippines every year for recruitment of Filipino workers, for business and for tourism.
He said that the two countries have forged closer relations, adding that the Jeddah-based Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) has been playing a significant role in mediating and facilitating peace and the peace agreement in Mindanao.
Manila, at the same time, has renewed its commitment to peace in Mindanao, particularly the implementation of the historic peace accord signed between the Philippine government and the Moro National Liberation Front in 1996.
The two-way trade between Riyadh and Manila has been progressively growing. In fact, the trade volume, reported to be in the region of $373 million annually, necessitates the visit of several Saudi nationals to that country.
This is in addition to a number of Filipino businessmen visiting the Kingdom every year. Saudi Arabia is also home for over 650,000 Fililipino workers at the moment.
