RIYADH: Several Filipino community leaders gathered here recently to denounce all forms of terrorism, and urged fellow nationals living and working in the country to obey the Kingdom’s religious and other laws.

The leaders, at a press conference here, issued a manifesto pledging their support for the Kingdom’s local and global efforts for peace and security, which they said would be handed to the Saudi government soon.

In his opening speech, Usodan Didaagun, the acting head of the organizing group, the Filipino Expatriates Council for Justice, Peace and Order, said that Saudi Arabia was the country where Filipinos were honing their skills and earning a living for their families.

John Monterona, secretary general of the council, said it would serve as a consultative body for all peace loving Filipinos seeking to promote peace and harmony in the country.

“It will also foster solidarity with Saudis, and promote Filipino Muslim-Christian brotherhood.” He said it would assist the Philippine Embassy in disseminating information affecting Filipino workers in the country, especially during crisis situations.

Richard Bautista read out the manifesto, which stated that the Filipino organizations present committed themselves to protecting and respecting the laws and customs of the country.

In particular, Filipinos would seek to uphold the spirit of the Islamic Solidarity Summit hosted by the Kingdom in 2012 with its emphasis on the Muslim community’s aim for global unity and peace, he said.

The statement expressed condolences for the tragic loss of life in Makkah and Mina during the recent Haj and praised the Saudi government for showing such “compassionate concern and care for the victims.”

The organizations stated that the actions of the Saudi government should serve as a model for other leaders, and praised the country’s leadership for many projects at the holy sites that sought to ensure the safety and security of pilgrims.

“We will do our very best within our resources, in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to cooperate and support unconditionally the eradication of all forms of vice, immorality, and most especially violence and terrorism ...,” Bautista said.

More than 1 million Filipinos work in Saudi Arabia, part of 10 million employed in various countries across the globe who remit nearly $23 billion annually to their families at home.