"The success of the President’s visit marks another milestone in international diplomacy which she has effectively used for advancing our national interest," Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye said.

Bunye made the assessment based on the outcome of the President’s visit to the Kingdom especially to the mass pardon granted by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud to more than 338 Filipino workers facing charges here.

As a result of this, 52 pardoned female workers were scheduled to arrive today in Manila ferried by Gulf Air from Riyadh while another batch of 287 is set to take their " flight for freedom" on May 14, also from Riyadh.

The President left at the Royal Terminal of the King Fahd International Airport at 10:40 last night and was expected to arrive in Manila early afternoon today.

Aside from promoting the welfare of the overseas Filipino workers, the President also convinced Saudi authorities to strengthen investment partnerships between the two countries.

The President also received assurance from the Saudi’s oil ministry of a continued oil supply in case there is a disruption of supply from other sources.

"Saudi Arabia is a strategic ally of the Philippines as our leading supplier of oil and is host to more than a million Filipino workers. The assurance from the Kingdom of a stable oil supply gives us a sense of security amidst a volatile market," Bunye said.

The President, accompanied by some members of her Cabinet and business delegation, arrived at 10:00 a.m Wednesday (KSA time, 3 p.m. in Manila) at the Saudi Aramco headquarters and was received by Saudi Aramco president and chief executive officer Abdallah S. Jum’ah and some of the company’s corporate management officials.

Earlier, the President also toured the Saudi Aramco facilities at Shaybah in the Rub al-Khali. During her visit there, Abdallah informed the President of Saudi Aramco’s commitment to provide stable energy supplies to the Philippines and the world as a whole.

She then proceeded to Saudi Aramco’s Theater Auditorium where she viewed a nine-minute audio visual presentation entitled "The Spirit of Youth" depicting Saudi Aramco’s history and development.

While viewing the documentary film, the President noted the more than 3,000 Filipino workers employed by Saudi Aramco doing their respective vital roles as part of the company’s multinational workforce. Segments of the audio-visual presentation show Filipino workers manning the rigs in oil exploration and producing; Filipino doctors and nurses caring for the company’s employees and their dependents; as well as other Filipino workers, both male and female, taking on a wide range of technical and professional tasks.

After viewing the audio-visual presentation, President Arroyo was ushered in to the Saudi Aramco exhibit center which features photos on the Kingdom’s oil industry, Saudi Aramco’s facilities including the Arabic and Islamic civilization’s contributions to Saudi Arabia.

The President was visibly awed as she saw first hand the advanced state-of-the-art technology the company employs.

Later, the President attended a luncheon meeting with Saudi Aramco officials which they hosted in her honor and members of her party. Following the luncheon, Abdallah presented the President a token in appreciation of her visit to the company.

The Philippines is an important trading partner with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which provides the island nation with 92 percent of its crude oil needs.

Owned by the Saudi Arabian government, Saudi Aramco is fully-integrated, global petroleum enterprise and a world leader in exploration and producing, refining, distribution, shipping and marketing.

According to a fact sheet, the company manages proven reserves of 260 billion barrels of oil (a quarter of the world’s total), the largest of any company in the world, and manages the fourth largest gas reserves in the world.

Abdallah S. Jum’ah, Saudi Aramco president-chief executive officer (CEO), gave the assurance to the President during her visit to the company’s Exhibit Center Wednesday morning.

"Our young employees work very hard in the harshest of environments to help provide mobility, warmth and happiness to the people of the Philippines and even around the globe," Abdallah said.

On Tuesday, the President also visited the Shaybah (Sheiba) oil field in the Rub’al-Khali dessert. Located some 800 kilometers southeast of Dhahran, Shaybah is Aramco’s oil production field.

"Shaybah is amazing," the President said, as she viewed the high-end facilities of the oil company.

Together with some members of the Cabinet and Filipino business leaders, the President toured the central oil processing plant in Shaybah and witnessed its operation.

The Philippines obtains 92 percent of its crude oil needs from Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Aramco also plays a downstream role, along with its joint venture partners in Petron, the Philippines largest refining operation. Saudi Aramco became a partner of Petron Philippines in 1994.

During her brief tour of the Shaybah complex, the President told Abdallah that she was looking forward to the expansion of Saudi Aramco’s refining operation in the Philippines, especially in Mindanao.

Saudi Aramco employs 3,000 Filipinos in its multi-national workforce.

Owned by the Saudi government, Saudi Aramco is a fully-integrated global petroleum enterprise, and a world leader in exploration and producing, refining, distribution, shipping and marketing.

The company manages proven reserves of 260 billion barrels of oil (a quarter of the world’s total), the largest of any company in the world. It also manages the fourth largest gas reserves in the world.