Manila eyes mass hiring program for Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia 

Special Manila eyes mass hiring program for Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia 
Prospective Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) attend a class in preparation for sitting for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) qualification, Manila, Apr. 2, 2019. (Reuters)
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Updated 30 May 2023
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Manila eyes mass hiring program for Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia 

Manila eyes mass hiring program for Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia 
  • Saudi, Philippine officials scheduled to finalize the program next month 
  • Employment would be available mostly in hospitality and construction  

MANILA: The Philippines is looking to further tap into Saudi Arabia’s labor market and send more skilled Filipinos to the Kingdom, Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople said on Tuesday, after talks with Saudi officials and the private sector. 

More than 800,000 Philippine expats are already living and working in Saudi Arabia, which is their preferred destination in the Middle East. 

Officials see even more employment opportunities in the Kingdom under its Vision 2030 economic diversification plan. 

The Philippine government has been in talks with Saudi authorities and Ople led an official delegation to Riyadh last week, where she met both officials and private sector players.   

“I see exciting times ahead for our Filipino workers and also our partners overseas…When we were in Saudi Arabia, we were exploring the possibility of a special hiring program specifically to address the labor needs of Saudi Arabia,” Ople told reporters during the Asia-Gulf Cooperation Council Senior Officials’ Dialogue in Manila. 

The Philippine delegation also discussed during the visit the possibility of starting a mass hiring program, which officials from both sides are scheduled to finalize next month. 

“We spoke with the private sector, and they estimate the need for 1 million (Filipino workers),” Ople said. 

“We in the department will have to look at…a special hiring program that would accommodate their needs while also scaling up our skills training.” 

Before the coronavirus pandemic, there were years in which over 1.5 million Filipinos would be working in the Kingdom, DMW Undersecretary Patricia Yvonne Caunan said during the presser with Ople. 

“They are hopeful that we (will) go back to that, the normal number to them, which they are saying is 1 million skilled jobs for Filipinos in the tourism sector and hospitality industry,” she said, adding that the opportunities would be available also in the construction sector. 


Saudi Embassy in Tokyo celebrates Kingdom’s 93rd National Day

Saudi Embassy in Tokyo celebrates Kingdom’s 93rd National Day
Updated 9 sec ago
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Saudi Embassy in Tokyo celebrates Kingdom’s 93rd National Day

Saudi Embassy in Tokyo celebrates Kingdom’s 93rd National Day
  • Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry NISHIMURA Yasutoshi and Digital Minister KONO Taro attended the event
  • The event started with the national anthems of Saudi Arabia and Japan performed by a Japanese singer

TOKYO: Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Japan Nayef Al-Fahadi hosted a reception on Tuesday on Saudi Arabia’s 93rd National Day.
The event at the Okura Hotel in Tokyo was attended by around 300 dignitaries, including Japanese government officials, members of parliament, academics, diplomats, Arab and Muslim community members, and Saudi students and businesspeople.
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry NISHIMURA Yasutoshi and Digital Minister KONO Taro attended the event. Other attendees included military attaches from various embassies, including the Chinese Embassy.
The event started with the national anthems of Saudi Arabia and Japan performed by a Japanese singer. Videos and photos showing Saudi Arabia’s developments, tourism and natural beauty were displayed and Saudi dates were served to the guests along with Arabic snacks.
In his opening remarks, Ambassador Al-Fahadi spoke of the dreams of the Kingdom and the achievements it has made.
“I will not tell you about my country’s glorious past, nor about the miracle of its founding, nor about the struggle of construction,” he said. “Rather, I would like to talk to you about its present, about a great vision where we accomplished over the course of years what we thought would take decades. My country today stands at the forefront of political, economic and tourism destinations, with its limitless vision, ambition and determination leading to what we see today.”
Al-Fahadi said that yesterday’s dreams had been turned into reality and the prestige of the country could be seen by the prestigious summits it hosts, foreign investment in the country and its appeal as a tourist destination. He concluded by thanking the guests for helping to celebrate Saudi Arabia’s 93rd National Day.
TSUJI Kiyoto, Japan’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, offered congratulatory remarks.
“It is my great pleasure and honor to congratulate the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on its 93rd National Day,” he said. “Saudi Arabia has been a reliable partner for Japan for many years. Currently, cooperation between the two countries is rapidly progressing beyond energy security to a wide range of fields, including decarbonization, advanced technology, entertainment, space, tourism, culture and sports.”
Tsuji noted the great success of Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio’s official visit to Saudi Arabia in July this year and his meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The two leaders agreed to continue accelerating cooperation between the two countries under the Japan-Saudi Vision 2030.
“Japan places great importance on its expanding strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia,” Tsuji added. “We believe that further strengthening of cooperation between the two countries, including both political and economic aspects, will not only serve the interests of both countries, but will also greatly contribute to the peace and prosperity of the entire Middle East, the Indo-Pacific and other regions.”
Tsuji praised Ambassador Al-Fahadi for earning a degree in Japan and his profound knowledge of the country, referring to him as “a bridge between the two countries.”
“Finally, I would like to conclude my remarks by praying for the further prosperity of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the good health of His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and the happiness of the people of Saudi Arabia,” Tsuji said. “Shukran Jazilan.”


Global development must be equitable: Indian FM

Global development must be equitable: Indian FM
Updated 49 min 50 sec ago
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Global development must be equitable: Indian FM

Global development must be equitable: Indian FM
  • Days when ‘a few nations set the agenda … are over,’ Subrahmanyam Jaishankar says
  • Minister praises India’s progress on technology, social reform

NEW YORK: Global development must be equitable and resist hegemony, India’s external affairs minister said on Tuesday.

“The days when a few nations set the agenda and expect others to fall in line are over,” Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said.

The politician also condemned what he described as unequal contributions to global development, including the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and “an evasion of historical responsibilities” regarding climate action.

India, he said, was part of several emerging alliances and economic blocs, including the I2U2 group, which also includes Israel, the US and the UAE.

The country sought to maintain its old relationships and create new ones, Jaishankar said, something that was evident in the expansion of the strategic security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan and the US — known as the Quad — and the economic bloc comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

“At India’s initiative, the African Union was admitted as a permanent member of the G20,” he said.

“This significant step in reform should inspire the United Nations — a much older organization — to also make the Security Council contemporary.”

India has been a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 16 years. It is also part of the G4 Alliance, which calls for the reform of the council and the accession to it of Brazil, Germany, India and Japan as permanent members.

“Recently we hosted the creation of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor,” he said.

“The forging of the Global Biofuels Alliance was another notable development. This willingness to work in an open-minded manner on specific domains is now a defining characteristic of the emerging multipolar order.”

Earlier this month, seven countries and the EU signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the creation of the IMEC corridor during the G20 Summit in New Delhi.

The corridor will include two separate paths: an eastern section that will connect India to western Asia and the Middle East, and a northern section that will link west Asia and the Middle East to Europe.

The corridor, which is expected to bring major economic developments to India, will also pass through the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel.

Jaishankar also praised India’s development in the fields of technology, infrastructure and social reform, referencing the country’s first moon landing last month and a bill that will reserve one-third of Indian parliamentary seats for women.

India, which is the world’s most populous country and has the fifth-largest economy, is also the largest contributor to meeting sustainable development goal targets, according to Jaishankar.


Saudi Arabia praises contribution of Filipinos to Kingdom’s development

Saudi Arabia praises contribution of Filipinos to Kingdom’s development
Updated 26 September 2023
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Saudi Arabia praises contribution of Filipinos to Kingdom’s development

Saudi Arabia praises contribution of Filipinos to Kingdom’s development
  • Workers from the country began to arrive in the Kingdom in the early 1970s
  • President is expected to visit KSA in October

MANILA: The Saudi ambassador to the Philippines has praised the contribution of Filipinos to the development of the Kingdom during celebrations in Manila to mark the Kingdom’s National Day.

Workers from the Philippines began to arrive in Saudi Arabia in the early 1970s. Most of them were engineers who helped build highways across the Kingdom.

Today, more than 800,000 of them live in Saudi Arabia, making it the preferred destination for overseas Filipino workers.

“The Kingdom appreciates the contributions of overseas Filipino workers in various areas, which have played a crucial role in the Kingdom’s advancement,” Ambassador Hisham Al-Qahtani said during a ceremony commemorating the 93rd Saudi National Day on Monday evening.

“We greatly value the mutual support and collaboration between our countries, as seen through our active participation in regional and international forums, enhancing economic cooperation and fostering a strong partnership.”

Saudi Arabia and the Philippines will mark the 54th anniversary of bilateral ties next month, and Al-Qahtani extended his best wishes to the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Marcos is expected to visit Saudi Arabia in October to attend the first Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Gulf Cooperation Council Summit, which will be held in Riyadh.

“His visit will further strengthen the strong, friendly, and vibrant relations that happily exist between our two countries and peoples,” said Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Antonio Morales, who represented Secretary Enrique Manalo during the National Day event.

“I am confident that our countries can continue working together and build upon our strong bilateral ties with a shared vision of inclusive progress and sustainable growth.”

Saudi Arabia has been seen in the Philippines as “the epitome of a nation with a vision for the future,” Morales said.

“The whole world now sees Saudi Arabia as a model of bridging the past and the future where heritage and history are intertwined with urbanism, cultural shifts, and international competitiveness. The Kingdom’s foresight towards a thriving economy and a vibrant society will open up opportunities for a brighter tomorrow.”


Indonesians celebrate closer ties with Kingdom at Saudi National Day ceremony

Saudi Ambassador Faisal Abdullah Amodi and top Indonesian leaders inaugurate Saudi National Day celebrations in Jakarta.
Saudi Ambassador Faisal Abdullah Amodi and top Indonesian leaders inaugurate Saudi National Day celebrations in Jakarta.
Updated 26 September 2023
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Indonesians celebrate closer ties with Kingdom at Saudi National Day ceremony

Saudi Ambassador Faisal Abdullah Amodi and top Indonesian leaders inaugurate Saudi National Day celebrations in Jakarta.
  • Relations expected to reach ‘strategic level’ when Indonesia’s president visits Riyadh in October
  • Top Indonesian leadership took part in Saudi National Day celebrations in Jakarta

JAKARTA: Indonesians welcomed increasing interactions with Saudi Arabia as they took part in celebrations to commemorate the Kingdom’s 93rd National Day in Jakarta on Monday.

Indonesia, the largest Muslim-majority nation and a country of 270 million people, has been a staunch supporter of Saudi Arabia and its leadership. A Lowy Institute survey showed in 2021 that of all world leaders, Indonesians held the most confidence in Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Saudi-Indonesian ties span centuries, but have only recently gained momentum, when King Salman arrived in Indonesia in 2017. The trip was historic as the first by a Saudi monarch since King Faisal bin Abdulaziz visited Jakarta in 1970.

In the past six years, high-level bilateral exchanges have been on the rise on the political level and in business, especially after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman took part in the G20 leaders’ summit in Bali, when Indonesia held the group’s rotating presidency in 2022.

Both countries expect to boost their ties even more when President Joko Widodo visits Riyadh next month.

The upcoming trip was announced by Saudi Ambassador Faisal Abdullah Amodi and Indonesian Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas during a ceremony held in Jakarta as part of events hosted by the Kingdom around the world to mark its National Day.

The Indonesian president’s visit “is expected to contribute effectively to the relations between the two countries reaching a strategic level,” Amodi told the audience, which included Indonesian Vice President Ma’ruf Amin, the former president and leader of the ruling party, Megawati Sukarnoputri, the former vice president, Jusuf Kalla, Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Pandjaitan, and Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto.

As Widodo is scheduled to meet the crown prince, Indonesia hopes the trip will “open up an even more strategic cooperation between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia,” Quomas said.

“Brotherhood between our countries will be even stronger in the coming years.”

The National Day ceremony, which featured traditional Saudi sword dancing, a display of the Kingdom’s megaprojects under Vision 2030 and a performance by the Saudi School in Jakarta, has already brought Saudis and Indonesian closer together.

“Both countries are highly respectful of one another, and I think that’s why all these top officials like Megawati, Jusuf Kalla, Prabowo and Ma’ruf Amin were all here,” Fay Kadaroesman, vice president of Women’s International Club Jakarta, told Arab News. “I can tell that relations are very close, and it’s really good.”

For Subhan Cholid, head of the Indonesian Hajj Organization Committee, the ceremony was an opportunity to meet Saudis and forge new friendships.

“With this event we were able to meet, talk, and chat,” he said. “We could meet and celebrate together, be a part of a shared National Day celebrations.”

And the sentiment was mutual.

Jameel Saeed Kabbarah, vice chairman of the board of directors of the Cooperative Maritime Business Association, who arrived in Indonesia from Jeddah for a family vacation, was for the first time celebrating National Day outside the Kingdom.

“It’s good to see different people. The world is very small nowadays,” he said. “I’m very proud to be part of this crowd and celebrate this great occasion of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”


Polish minister must tone down criticism of migration film, court says

Polish minister must tone down criticism of migration film, court says
Updated 26 September 2023
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Polish minister must tone down criticism of migration film, court says

Polish minister must tone down criticism of migration film, court says
  • The black-and-white film shows a family from Syria and a woman from Afghanistan thrown backwards and forward across the border by brutal guards indifferent to their suffering
  • The movie drew a furious response from conservatives in Poland even before its release in Polish cinemas on Friday

WARSAW: Poland’s justice minister must not compare film director Agnieszka Holland or her work to authoritarian regimes, a Warsaw court said on Tuesday, after the minister likened Holland’s film depicting the Belarus border migrant crisis to Nazi propaganda.
With migration a key issue ahead of Oct. 15 elections, the ruling nationalists Law and Justice (PiS) have pushed Holland’s award-winning film ‘Green Border’ to center stage in the campaign, condemning its portrayal of the treatment of migrants at the border and accusing Holland of insulting people who were protecting their country.
Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro compared the film to Nazi German propaganda, spurring Holland to demand an apology and threatening court action in the absence of one.
In his post on social media network X, Ziobro said: “In the Third Reich, the Germans produced propaganda films showing Poles as bandits and murderers. Today they have Agnieszka Holland for that.”
The black-and-white film shows a family from Syria and a woman from Afghanistan thrown backwards and forward across the border by brutal guards indifferent to their suffering, as activists struggled to try to bring them to safety.
After the court’s ruling on Tuesday, Holland’s lawyers Sylwia Gregorczyk-Abram and Michal Wawrykiewicz wrote on X: “As Agnieszka Holland’s representatives, we would like to inform you that the District Court in Warsaw has issued an order prohibiting Zbigniew Ziobro from speaking about Ms. Holland and her works, comparing them to criminal authoritarian regimes.”
The movie drew a furious response from conservatives in Poland even before its release in Polish cinemas on Friday.
Holland hit back at the criticism in an interview with private broadcaster TVN24 on Monday, labelling the government “a disgrace to Poland” and their actions against her work “unprecedented.”
Deputy Justice Minister Sebastian Kaleta said Holland and her legal team were in effect blocking Ziobro’s right to free speech.
“Minister Ziobro and every citizen has a right to present their views and opinions,” he told Reuters. “Ms Holland wants to refuse him this right.”
Migrants, largely from North African and the Middle East, started flocking to the border in 2021 after Belarus, a Russian ally, opened travel agencies in the Middle East offering an unofficial route into Europe, a move Brussels said was designed to create a crisis. Poland has refused to let them cross.