RIYADH: The Philippines and Saudi Arabia are riding the crest of excellent bilateral ties as the Philippine Embassy and Filipinos in the Kingdom mark the country’s 118th Independence Day anniversary today.
The Philippine Embassy earlier hosted a diplomatic reception led by Ambassador Ezzedin H. Tago at the Tuwaiq Palace to celebrate the event.
General Emilio Aguinaldo, considered the first president of the republic, proclaimed Philippine independence at his house in Kawit, Cavite, on June 12, 1898.
Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar attended as guest of honor and expressed his thanks for being invited to the event.
He also expressed his hope that the bilateral ties between the two countries continue to scale new heights.
Ambassador Tago and other embassy officials and staff welcomed the guests who included Saudi government officials and businessmen as well as members of the diplomatic community.
With the pervasive happiness during the celebration, the Filipinos present could not help but feel pride well up in their hearts, seeing in the mind’s eye their venerable forebears who had laid down their life to win freedom for the motherland.
The theme for this year’s celebration — “Kalayaan 2016: Pagkakaisa, Pag-aambagan, Pagsulong” could not have been more appropriate: It aims to further unify Filipinos in the country and overseas.
The theme also engenders hope for further advancement of the Philippines while at the same time nurture its preeminent image in the world community.
“As we celebrate the 118th Independence Day anniversary today, the Philippines does not only enjoy excellent bilateral ties with the Kingdom but also in the community of nations,” Ambassador Tago said.
He said that Saudi Arabia ranked 10th as the biggest trade partner of the Philippines in 2012 and that it offers bright prospects as far as Philippine exports of products and services are concerned.
Early this year, the Department of Trade and Industry’s Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB) led Outbound Business Missions (OBMs) to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, including Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE.
The Saudi segment of the mission — which was conducted in Riyadh on Feb. 12-15, Jeddah on Feb. 15-16, and Dammam on Feb. 16-17 — also served as a continuation of the commitment from the previous OBM to the Middle East to keep the presence of the Philippine delegation renewed with the network of business partners, primarily with the influential chambers of commerce.
“There are bright opportunities for construction labor services and other areas for the implementation of mega projects under the recently concluded ‘Saudi Vision 2030’,” he said.
In the cultural sector, thousands of Filipino Muslims travel to the Kingdom to perform Haj or Umrah, which they have been doing long before the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries in 1969.
Before the start of Philippine-Saudi bilateral ties, Filipino pilgrims used to undertake a long journey by sea that usually took months to perform Haj.
In tourism, the Philippines boasts of numerous attractions that have drawn tourists from far and wide, including Saudis who have become the country’s repeat visitors.
One reason for this is the launching of The Philippine Halal Tourism Project at the opening day of the Madrid Fusion Manila at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City on April 8, 2016.
The project aims to welcome the Halal conscious travelers from the neighboring ASEAN region and the Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, to several destinations all over the country.
Spearheaded by the Philippine Department of Tourism and the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (MCMF), it’s a fillip to the country’s travel industry.
Last year, the Philippine Embassy announced that the “Visit Philippines 2015” campaign was launched by Department of Tourism Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez, Jr. during the 13th Philippine Travel Exchange held at the SMX Convention Center on Sept. 2-5. It aimed to increase and sustain the ongoing Philippine tourism slogan, “It’s More Fun in the Philippines.”
A video advertisement, 15 Ways to Have Fun in the Philippines, was also shown highlighting the different themes of the campaign such as business meetings, sports adventure and eco-tourism.
A microsite, visit2015.com, was also presented wherein the directory of upcoming events in the country were posted.
The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh as well as other missions of the country in various parts of the world have also launched a campaign among Filipinos to invite a foreign friend to visit the Philippines.
A report by the Department o Tourism in January last year showed a total of 3,955,399 foreign tourists were recorded from January to October 2014 or 2.28 percent increase from the same period the previous year.
The number of Saudi visitors to the Philippines has been on the uptrend.
In 2015, a total of 50,884 Saudis visited the country compared to 27,945 visitors in 2011.
The Philippine Embassy earlier hosted a diplomatic reception led by Ambassador Ezzedin H. Tago at the Tuwaiq Palace to celebrate the event.
General Emilio Aguinaldo, considered the first president of the republic, proclaimed Philippine independence at his house in Kawit, Cavite, on June 12, 1898.
Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar attended as guest of honor and expressed his thanks for being invited to the event.
He also expressed his hope that the bilateral ties between the two countries continue to scale new heights.
Ambassador Tago and other embassy officials and staff welcomed the guests who included Saudi government officials and businessmen as well as members of the diplomatic community.
With the pervasive happiness during the celebration, the Filipinos present could not help but feel pride well up in their hearts, seeing in the mind’s eye their venerable forebears who had laid down their life to win freedom for the motherland.
The theme for this year’s celebration — “Kalayaan 2016: Pagkakaisa, Pag-aambagan, Pagsulong” could not have been more appropriate: It aims to further unify Filipinos in the country and overseas.
The theme also engenders hope for further advancement of the Philippines while at the same time nurture its preeminent image in the world community.
“As we celebrate the 118th Independence Day anniversary today, the Philippines does not only enjoy excellent bilateral ties with the Kingdom but also in the community of nations,” Ambassador Tago said.
He said that Saudi Arabia ranked 10th as the biggest trade partner of the Philippines in 2012 and that it offers bright prospects as far as Philippine exports of products and services are concerned.
Early this year, the Department of Trade and Industry’s Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB) led Outbound Business Missions (OBMs) to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, including Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE.
The Saudi segment of the mission — which was conducted in Riyadh on Feb. 12-15, Jeddah on Feb. 15-16, and Dammam on Feb. 16-17 — also served as a continuation of the commitment from the previous OBM to the Middle East to keep the presence of the Philippine delegation renewed with the network of business partners, primarily with the influential chambers of commerce.
“There are bright opportunities for construction labor services and other areas for the implementation of mega projects under the recently concluded ‘Saudi Vision 2030’,” he said.
In the cultural sector, thousands of Filipino Muslims travel to the Kingdom to perform Haj or Umrah, which they have been doing long before the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries in 1969.
Before the start of Philippine-Saudi bilateral ties, Filipino pilgrims used to undertake a long journey by sea that usually took months to perform Haj.
In tourism, the Philippines boasts of numerous attractions that have drawn tourists from far and wide, including Saudis who have become the country’s repeat visitors.
One reason for this is the launching of The Philippine Halal Tourism Project at the opening day of the Madrid Fusion Manila at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City on April 8, 2016.
The project aims to welcome the Halal conscious travelers from the neighboring ASEAN region and the Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, to several destinations all over the country.
Spearheaded by the Philippine Department of Tourism and the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (MCMF), it’s a fillip to the country’s travel industry.
Last year, the Philippine Embassy announced that the “Visit Philippines 2015” campaign was launched by Department of Tourism Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez, Jr. during the 13th Philippine Travel Exchange held at the SMX Convention Center on Sept. 2-5. It aimed to increase and sustain the ongoing Philippine tourism slogan, “It’s More Fun in the Philippines.”
A video advertisement, 15 Ways to Have Fun in the Philippines, was also shown highlighting the different themes of the campaign such as business meetings, sports adventure and eco-tourism.
A microsite, visit2015.com, was also presented wherein the directory of upcoming events in the country were posted.
The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh as well as other missions of the country in various parts of the world have also launched a campaign among Filipinos to invite a foreign friend to visit the Philippines.
A report by the Department o Tourism in January last year showed a total of 3,955,399 foreign tourists were recorded from January to October 2014 or 2.28 percent increase from the same period the previous year.
The number of Saudi visitors to the Philippines has been on the uptrend.
In 2015, a total of 50,884 Saudis visited the country compared to 27,945 visitors in 2011.
