JEDDAH, 24 September 2004 — The formerly conjoined Filipino twins Princess Ann and Princess Mae Manzo attended the 74th National Day celebrations of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia held in Manila on Tuesday night by Saudi Ambassador to the Philippines Muhammad Amin Wali.
In a faxed statement to Arab News, Ambassador Wali said that a reception was held at the Mandarin Hotel to mark the occasion and that former President Fidel V. Ramos and Speaker of the House Jose de Venecia attended the reception on behalf of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
The Philippine secretaries of interior and defense also attended, as well as other high-ranking officials and members of Congress.
Several films were screened highlighting the Kingdom’s economic progress and cultural traditions. Saudi Arabian Airlines and Petron Oil Company had stands at the reception, where Saudia flight attendants served dates and Arabic coffee to the guests. Petron is 40 percent owned by Saudi-Aramco.
“I take pride in the friendship and close cooperation that have persisted between our governments and peoples these many years. You continue to be gracious hosts to our many overseas workers, who in turn have ably contributed to the development and industrialization of the Kingdom,” said President Arroyo in a congratulatory message printed in Saudi National Day supplements in the Manila Times and the Manila Bulletin.
“The Philippines looks upon the Saudi nation as a special ally and friend. The almost one million overseas Filipinos working in Saudi Arabia and our increasingly rich exchanges in trade and commerce manifest the warm relationship our two nations enjoy,” wrote de Venecia in his message.
The twins, who were formerly conjoined at the lower abdomen, were flown to Riyadh on Jan. 22 and operated upon at the expense of Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah on March 20 at King Abdul Aziz Medical City.
Ambassador Wali presented his credentials to President Arroyo last May, and has been actively trying to improve bilateral relations between the two countries.
Saudi Arabia has long been a supporter of peace and development in the southern Philippines as an active member of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. It helped facilitate the Philippine government’s peace agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front in 1996.
The Saudi Fund for Development recently pledged a $20 million loan for development projects in Mindanao.
The Saudi government has also funded the building of schools, mosques and medical clinics in Mindanao, apart from giving scholarship grants to Muslim Filipinos.
