JEDDAH, 9 May 2004 — The Philippine Ambassador to the Kingdom Bahnarim Guinomla hosted a farewell luncheon yesterday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel for the newly appointed Saudi Ambassador to the Philippines Muhammad Amin Wali.
Wali, who is a career diplomat, was most recently the Kingdom’s ambassador to Japan.
“I am extremely happy with my new appointment, and am looking forward to improving Saudi-Philippine relations, especially in the field of training,” Wali said.
Wali is leaving for Manila on Tuesday.
“The Kingdom appreciates the highly skilled Filipino workers that work in the country, and we look forward to further tapping the huge talent pool from the Philippines,” said Wali.
Ambassador Guinomla said that the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry is interested in setting up a technical institute with the help of Filipino experts to train Saudis.
There are approximately 800,000 Filipinos working in the Kingdom, the largest concentration of overseas Filipino workers in the world.
“Our embassy in Manila is one of the largest and busiest in the world,” said Wali. “We process up to 400 work visas a day.”
The Philippines sends managers, nurses, engineers, office workers, graphic artists, domestic helpers, fashion designers, cooks, drivers, and hair stylists to work in the Kingdom.
The Kingdom is one of the largest oil suppliers of the Philippines, with Saudi Aramco holding a 40 percent stake in Petron, the Philippine’s leading oil refining and marketing company.
