PGMA's Speech during a Meeting with the Council of Saudi Chamber of Commerce and Industry |
| Thank you very much,
Mr. Chairman. I'd like to thank Minister of Social Affairs for having accompanied me throughout my stay since yesterday; and Ambassador Wali, I'd like to thank you for making us know the different opportunities that we can point out during our visit here; and I'd like to greet also the chairman of the Saudi-Philippine Business Council, Mr. Waleed Al Swaidan, and thank you for the friendship that you have shown the Philippines and also our Filipino workers; officials and members of the Saudi-Philippine Business Council; members of the government and business delegations of the Philippines' state visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ladies and gentlemen. I'm deeply honored in making this state visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and I thank everyone from His Majesty the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to everybody else concerned for your warm welcome. Our historical ties are strong, steady and lasting. Historical ties, indeed, when the Governor of Riyadh went to visit the Philippines in 1999, he noticed how much of Philippine customs, cultures and traditions had origins in the culture of the Middle East. And in more recent times, Saudi Arabia has stood by the side of the Philippines for peace and development. And as you have said, more than a million Filipinos help build your economy right here in Saudi Arabia. In every vital activity in this land -- producing oil, building cities, laying out roads and power lines, taking care of the health of the people -- Filipinos are there. The relationship is both reciprocal and synergistic. And you who are here today represent the companies, agencies and individuals that contribute to our successful and mutually beneficial ties and I thank you for organizing this meeting today. Well, the most obvious link between our two countries today, the most visible link is the great Filipino worker. Filipino workers have been in the kingdom for more than 30 years now and therefore you know the quality of our great Filipino worker. Therefore we hope that the expansion, ongoing, of the various sectors of the Saudi economy, especially the mega infrastructures in the King Abdullah economic city will provide outsourcing opportunities for Philippine corporations. I remember the first petrochemical boom in the early 1970s, that was the time when the first big inflow of Filipino workers came to Saudi Arabia. And at that time they came through the employment in Philippine companies who were doing construction and engineering work in that petrochemical boom. Since then, the number of Filipinos has increased but the bulk of them now, the vast majority are now hired directly by Saudi companies. And however, we hope that with this bigger boom that is coming up with King Abdullah economic city -- a boom that is much bigger than the petrodollar boom of 1974 -- once again the companies in the Philippines will be able to provide outsourcing services to that development in the fields of engineering, construction and engineering-related I.T. enabled services. I am very glad that we had that meeting just before this in the Saudi General Investment Authority, and there we saw the magnitude of this development of the King Abdullah economic city. Our business delegation was here meeting with you so they were not with me and I'd like to tell them that that economic city is bigger than some of the neighboring countries of Saudi Arabia. It's in ten years time it will provide a trillion dollars worth of economic activities. But we don't have to wait ten years because we have the capability and we can experience... We know that we are the preferred source of human resources here in Saudi Arabia. So we are very sure that our companies will be able to find vastly bigger opportunities in this new petrodollar boom than we even saw in 1974, which was already quite substantial. You mentioned, Mr. Chairman, about the WTO, and I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on your accession to the WTO last December 2005 after more than a decade of difficult negotiations. Being in the world trade organization, we can share a common stand for a fair and level playing field in global trade and investment. And with your membership in the WTO, the Philippines hopes to have a more fruitful participation -- though our participation is already very fruitful with our 1.2 million Filipinos here -- but we hope to continue to have an even more fruitful participation in the continuing and increasing affluence of your kingdom. This time not just the workers but also our products and services. In fact, you have rightly pointed out that Saudi sells to the Philippines 20 times more than the Philippine sells to Saudi. And for this reason, to even it up a little bit more, I shall assign a Trade Attache to Saudi Arabia. I've already given that instruction to Secretary of Trade and Industry. I was telling my colleagues in the Philippines that really we should export more to Saudi Arabia because our 1.2 million workers alone already constitute a major market for Philippine garments, fresh and processed foods, marine products, tropical fruits, especially bananas and pineapples. But Minister of Social Affairs said, "yes, why not?" But those very goods are also goods that the Saudi will buy. So we have a critical mass for a minimum export market and it is much more than that because whatever the Filipinos buy the Saudis will also like to buy. And so we are sure that these products will be welcome not only to our Filipinos but also the Saudi Arabian consumers. And I believe that the Saudi Arabian consumers will also welcome consumer manufactures from the Philippines like furniture and furnishings. They're very world class, very sophisticated, always sold out in all of the trade missions that we have anywhere, even beauty products and consumer electronics. And it's a great time for Saudi to enter the WTO because while -- and we are very appreciative of your empathy for us -- while world prices of oil are at a historic high, there is much that Saudi can do in helping the rest of the world through increased trade. And so in this time of very volatile oil prices, we invite the Saudi business community through you the council of Saudi chambers, to recycle its petrodollars and profit from the oil trade in the form of direct investments to low-income and middle-income oil importing countries -- the Philippines is a middle-income, low-importing country -- particularly the Philippines especially because Filipino workers are making a valuable contribution to the economy of Saudi Arabia. And you have already had your meetings with our Filipino business delegation. I would just like to stress that we invite your investments to the Philippines which is at the verge of economic take off. Our economic momentum is steady despite the increase in world oil prices. Our fiscal deficit management is three years ahead of the target set by our medium-term Philippine development plan. The Philippine peso has outperformed many Asian currencies in the past year. And exports are expected to grow double digit this year, more of it I hope to Saudi Arabia. As far as investments are concerned, again, I believe you have talked already about some prospects and specific portfolios with our private business community. But I would just like to stress that we invite Saudi investments into our energy, tourism, mining, information and communication technology, and agricultural sectors. Tourism and I.C.T. because we are promoting fast growing industries where high-value jobs are most plentiful and which can use our most competitive resource that you are very familiar with -- the great Filipino worker, so well known in the Saudi business community. You have admired them, you have expressed your appreciation of them. I'd like to let you now that we churned out 40,000 knowledge workers every year such as engineers and I.T. professionals. Some of them come to Saudi, many of them come to Saudi, some of them are awaiting your investments in the Philippines. Tourism because we not only have the competent and warm and friendly people, we have the natural wonders that are very attractive to investments. And most of our hotels and resorts now are always fully- booked, so we can certainly use more rooms, more facilities, more hotels, more resorts from Saudi investments. Mining, because the Philippines total mineral reserves are valued at one trillion U.S. dollars. The fifth largest mineral deposits in the world. The fifth biggest in gold. The ninth biggest in copper and the 20 percent of the world's nickel. Energy, of course, because Saudi Arabia is the energy giant of the world and we hope you can among other investments put up oil refining facilities in Mindanao, in Southern Philippines, where half of our ten million Muslims live. Because such a refinery to be located in Mindanao can serve not only the Philippines but also the American west coast market and Eastern Indonesia which is closer to Mindanao than to the Indonesian oil fields of Aceh. Agriculture, because Mindanao where five million of our ten million Muslims live is the food basket of the entire Philippines. And we want to raise its production, processing and logistical capacities including the Halal food industry that we hope we can also service the whole Muslim world with including Saudi Arabia. And as Donald Dee, the president of the Philippine Chamber mentioned to me earlier, you also had some very promising talks regarding the investment in our Al Amanah Bank, our Islamic bank. So these are so many things that we can do together, and I thank you for the occasion to address your esteemed council. The Philippine delegation and I hope to bring back to our country not only the fruits of economic cooperation on this visit but also memories of your hospitality, your generosity, your way of life, your dreams and aspirations as a great kingdom moving forward in the new millennium and we hope to be part of that moving forward. Thank you. |
PGMA's Speech during a Meeting with the Filipino
Community in Riyadh |
| Maraming
salamat, Secretary Pat Sto. Tomas. At hayaan niyong batiin ko yung ibat-ibang mga nasa entablado na kasama ko sa ating delegasyon dito sa ating state visit: una sa tanan, ang atong senadora, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago. Akon pag abi-abi sa iyang mga kasimanwa diri sa Saudi Arabia, maayong gab-i sa inyo nga tanan. And from the House of Representatives: our congressman from the First District of Lanao Del Norte, Congressman Tikbong Badelles. Sa iyang mga kaigsuonan nga Bisaya, maayong gabii kaninyong tanan; Congressman from Lanao Del Sur, Congressman Benasing Macarambon. And to his Pagariya, Assalamu Alaikum!; congressman from the Second District of Lanao Del Norte, Congressman Abdullah Dimaporo; congressman mula sa Mandaluyong, Congressman Benhur Abalos; ing kanakung Cabalen, Congresswoman Anna York Bondoc from Pampanga. And to our Cabalens, mayap a bengi quecongan. I would like to greet also our governors who are here: first of all, the governor of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, Governor Zaldy Ampatuan; governor from the province of Lanao Del Norte, Governor Angging Dimaporo; governor of the province of Antique, Governor Sally Perez. We have a whole number of Cabinet members with us: Secretary Peter Favila of Trade and Industry; Secretary Popo Lotilla of Energy; Press Secretary Toting Bunye; you already met earlier Secretary Cerge Remonde, the chairman of our broadcast channels, television channels; the head of my Presidential Adviser for the Peace Process, Jess Dureza; our Acting Secretary of Land Reform, Nasser Pangandaman; our chairman of the TESDA, Chairman Boboy Syjuco; nandito rin ang nag-aalaga sa marami sa mga overseas Filipinos dito, ang namumuno natin ng OWWA, si Nitoy Roque; at yung nagbigay ng welcome sa akin, pero tayo dapat mag welcome sa kanya, ang parating na bagong Ambassador natin sa Saudi Arabia, kung pumasa siya sa committee ni Senator Santiago sa Commission on Appointments, si Ambassador Tony Villamor. Nandito rin ang ating mga officials ng Foreign Affairs sa pamumuno ni dating Ambassador ninyo dito, si Paeng Seguis at saka si... Ang nag-aalaga sa atin kung sakali magkaroon ng panganib, si Ambassador Roy Cimatu at lahat ng mga officials ng DFA. Nandito rin ang ating business delegation mula sa Pilipinas. Hindi ko na babanggitin lahat ng pangalan nila pero can we ask them to stand and be acknowledged. Mga kasapi ng ating embahada, mga lider ng pamayanang Pilipino dito sa Saudi Arabia at sa Riyadh, mga kababayan, magandang gabi sa inyong lahat. At salamat sa inyong paghintay sa akin at gaya nang alam ninyo ako ay napatungo dito sa Saudi Arabia bilang state visitor ng dakilang hari, yung Custodian of the Two Mosques. I was welcomed with warmth and generous hospitality which has the mark of the deep importance given by Saudi Arabia to the Philippines. The Kingdom has a clout in the world that will stretch forward through the millennium, at kayong higit na isang milyong Pilipino sa kaharian, malaki ang kontribusyon niyo sa impluwensya ng Saudi Arabia sa buong mundo. Sa aking pakikipagkuwento sa dakilang hari ng Saudi Arabia at ibang mga official ng kanilang pamahalaan lagi kong pinagmamalaki ang dakilang manggagawang Pilipino, at pati sila ipinagmamalaki kayo. Masayang-masaya sila sa magandang trabaho ng mga Pilipino dito sa Saudi. Filipino workers play a major role in the economic and infrastructure development of the Kingdom. In every vital activity in this land-producing oil -- saan dito yung mga nagtatrabaho natin sa mga oil industry? Salamat sa inyo -- building cities -- saan yung mga nasa construction industry natin? Thank you -- laying out roads and power lines, taking care of the health of our people -- 'to yung mga nakaputi dito -- nandiyan ang mga Pilipino. Naalala ko kung papano nagsimula itong OFW phenomenon dito sa Saudi Arabia. Naalala ko nangyari yon nung unang petrodollar boom nung 1974, maraming Pilipinong construction company na kasali doon sa boom na yon kaya siyempre nagdala sila ng manggagawang Pilipino, nakita tuloy ang kagalingan ng Pilipino. Kaya pagkatapos noon dumami nang dumami hindi lang Philippine construction companies kung hindi na rin ibat-ibang mga kompaniya at ahensyang Arabo ay kumuha ng mga empleyadong Pilipino. Kaya isang milyon na kayo. Our community here is the largest community of overseas contract workers. At kayo mga Filipino ngayon ang isa sa apat na pinakamalaking grupo ng OFW sa Saudi kasama ninyo yung mga taga-India, taga-Pakistan, taga-Ehipto. Ngunit ayon doon sa Cabinet in attendance na nag-aalaga sa akin sa lahat ng pinupuntahan ko, yung secretary of social welfare, ang kaibahan ng Pilipino doon sa ibang tatlo ay halos lahat ng Pilipino na narito, mga walong porsiyento nasa managerial at highly technical positions. At ayon naman doon sa mga negosyanteng kasama namin na mga negosyante nating Pilipino kaninang katanghalian, sabi nila, number one ang Pilipino sa kagalingan at kabaitan. Kung merong petrodollar boom nung 1974, ngayon may mas malaki pang petrodollar boom dahil sa bagong pagtataas na naman ng presyo ng langis, higit na boom ito kaysa nung 1974. At kung noon nagboom sila at malaking construction ang ginawa lalo na ngayon marami silang petrodollars. Isang pinanukala ko dito sa aking pagbisita ay magtayo sila ng refinery, oil refinery sa Mindanao para yung ating mahihirap doon ay magkaroon ng ginhawa. Pero bukod doon, dito mismo sa Saudi malaki ang pagdagdag na pagkakataon na naman dahil magtatayo sila ng limang economic zones dito sa Saudi Arabia simula sa King Abdullah Economic City. At bawat isang economic city na ito ay mas malaki pa kaysa sa mga karatig bansa sa katabi nila, buong bansa, mas malaki ang bawat isa dito sa economic zone na ito. Kaya kung ano ang nangyari nung 1974, mahigit pa sa times 5 ang magiging boom. At dahil pinakita ninyo ang inyong kagalingan itong nakaraang tatlungpung taon mula nung 1970s, sinabi nila, sinabi ng hepe ng Saudi General Investment Authority na ang Pilipino ang kanilang preferred human resource sa malaking ekspansiyong ito. Nagpapasalamat sila sa inyo, nagpapasalamat din ako sa inyo sa inyong remittances sa ating bansa dahil sa inyo lumakas ng husto ang ating piso. Meron tayong real estate boom dahil bumibili kayo ng mga tahanan at apartment para sa inyong mga kamag-anak. Nahawa na rin ang stock market sa real estate boom. Kanina yung isang negosyante linapitan ako sabi, "Congratulations! Mrs. President." Dahil sa Manila ang ating report itong araw na ito, monday, pinakamalaking pagtaas ng stock market sa kasaysayan ng buong Pilipinas. At kanina nga ang ganda ng balita mula sa mga negosyante dito sa Saudi Arabia. Gustung-gusto nila mag-invest sa ating bansa -- energy, tourism, information technology, mining, yung agriculture -- at bakit? Kasi nakita nila kung gaano kagaling kayo, sabi nila, there must be more where you come from. Gusto nilang mag-invest ngayon dahil sa inyo. At nasisiyahan tayo na dadami ang investments ng Saudi Arabia sa Pilipinas. Saudi Arabia is an important priority of our government. The Philippine government has three major foreign policy concerns here in Saudi Arabia: first, of course, the welfare of the Filipino workers; second, finding relief for the oil crisis that is adversely affecting the world including the low and middle-income oil importing countries like the Philippines; and third, the ongoing peace process in Mindanao. Kaugnay ang Saudi Arabia sa ating peace process dahil tumutulong ang Saudi sa ating matatag na determinasyon na mahubog ng makatarungan at pangmatagalang kapayapaan sa Mindanao. Sa aking foreign policy, merong walong punto. Pero hindi ko ikukuwento lahat sa inyo, dalawa lang ang babanggitin ko. Yung isa yung halaga ng mga bansang OIC gaya ng saudi lalo na sa tulong ng ating peace process, at yung pangalawa ang pag-alaga sa ating mga Pilipino saan man sila naroroon. Kinikilala natin ang pangunahing papel ng dakilang manggagawang Pilipino sa kaharian dito. At tayo ay narito upang ipahayag kung gaano kaimportante ang makatarungang pagtrato sa inyo lalo na yung mga humaharap sa mga kaso sa mga korte ng Saudi. And we would like to assure those few Filipinos who have a problem with the law and their families of full legal support. Kaya kanina kausap ko si Nitoy Roque, sabi ko dapat paggastusan ng OWWA, kumuha tayo ng Arabong abogado para sa mga problema ng ating manggagawang Pilipino. Kagabi nagpasalamat ako sa kanilang dakilang hari dahil mula nung nag-umpisa itong taon hanggang ngayon, mga apat at kalahating buwan, nagpatawad na sila sa isang daang Pilipinong nasa preso. Tapos sabi ko kagabi, sana, sabi ko, pag-uwi ko pwede akong magdala ng limampu pa. Kanina yung pinanggalingan kong dinner ng Crown Prince, lumapit sa akin yung Minister of the Interior. Sabi niya, tungkol duon sa sinabi niyong sana meron pang limampung dagdag na pwedeng umuwi kasama ko or sabay ko, sabi niya, hindi kami nagpalaya ng limampu, nagpalaya kami ng 138. Sa aking pagpunta dito sa Saudi Arabia talagang isang pakay ang nangingibabaw sa lahat at yan ay ang pagsiguro sa inyong kaligtasan at mabuting kalagayan dito sa bansang Saudi Arabia. Gusto kong ipaalam sa inyong lahat na maaasahan niyo ang aking administrasyon -- nandiyan si Pat, nandiyan si Nitoy, nandiyan ang ating mga embassy personnel -- na patuloy na pangangalagaan ang inyong kapakanan. Anumang plano ang ating binabalak sa ikagiginhawa ng bansang Pilipinas o para sa ikabubuti ng ating Foreign Affairs, ang pangangailangan ninyo mga overseas Filipinos ay nararapat lamang bigyan pansin at halaga. Ang agenda ng taong-bayang Pilipino, ang agenda ko dito sa state visit lahat para sa Causa ng malakas na ekonomiya, sa pamamahalang matatag ang presyo ng langis, pangmatagalang kapayapaan, at higit sa lahat ang kapakanan at kinabubuti ng ating manggagawa sa Pilipinas at sa ibayong dagat. Kaya sa inyong lahat -- pinakamalaking overseas workers community sa buong mundo ng Pilipino, pinakamagaling na mga overseas workers dito sa Saudi Arabia, pinakamagaling na Ambassador of Goodwill kaya naaliw mag-invest ang mga taga-Saudi sa ating bansa dahil nakita na nila ang advertisement na binibigay ninyo -- sa inyong lahat, maraming maraming salamat sa inyong pagmamahal sa ating bansa at mabuhay kayong lahat! |
PGMA's Arrival Statement after a 4-day State Visit to the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia |
| I arrived
home not just with those who left Manila a few days ago to Saudi Arabia with me. Following
later, in a few hours, will be Filipinos who had been released from prison by His Majesty
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia as a gesture of friendship and compassion. The king told me how he cherishes our workers. He ordered the immediate release and pardon from blood money, not of 50 Filipinos, not of 180 Filipinos, not of 200 Filipinos, but of more than 500 Filipinos. This in addition to the 200 or so that had been released since February in anticipation of my visit. So all and all, it's about 700, nearly 700. And the first batch, because there are so many -- 500 -- they're coming in three batches. The first batch will be coming at 5:00 o'clock this afternoon. Ten of those coming this afternoon are homicide cases, and his majesty paid for their blood money. So, we are very happy about this. Ako ay nagagalak na kasabay ng aking pagbabalik sa saudi arabia ang mga detainee na makakabalik na rin sa ating bansa, sa kanilang mga pamilya na matagal nang naghihintay sa kanilang pag-uwi. Ito ay mensahe sa ating mga kababayan na makakaasa kayo sa ating gobyerno na mas pag-iibayuhin pa ang pakikipagtulungan sa Saudi Arabia upang alagaan ang lahat, sa lahat ng pagkakataon, ang kapakanan ng ating mga kababayan doon. Saudi Arabia is a strategic ally of the Philippines. Not only because it hosts more than a million Filipino workers, but also because it is our leading supplier of oil and a leading supporter of our peace process in Mindanao. Alam naman natin na ang presyo ng langis sa buong mundo ay patuloy na tumataas. That is why I am glad to receive assurances from the Kingdom of a stable oil supply. I'm harnessing strategic diplomacy to protect the national interests and leverage the growing political stability to gain more investments to spur jobs in the Philippines and abroad. And speaking of leveraging political stability, on one of the meetings that has not been reported yet to the media, is the meeting that took place when I was visited at the Palace by Prince Al Waleed, rank by Forbes as the number 5 richest person in the world. And Prince Al Waleed said that he's going to send a team as the first step in his investment in tourism in the Philippines. And he said, the reason why he is doing this is that he believes in my political will to bring about stability and economic continuity in our policies. The Saudi Aramco through Petron will study the feasibility of refining oil in Mindanao. These days oil refineries cost a billion dollars. But even as they're doing this feasibility study, they are pushing through with their 300 million-dollar investment in the petrochemical pit stop in Bataan. I also invited our friend from Saudi Arabia to join in the efforts to promote the rational exploration development utilization and conservation of our mineral resources, to enhance national growth in the Philippines in a way that effectively safeguards the environment and protects the rights of affected communities. We clarified to our Saudi Arabian investors that foreign investment is welcomed in our mining industry. The Saudi business center was very receptive to my invitation to recycle their petrodollars to invest in the Philippines. I won't talk about all of them today because we will leave that to Peter Favila to give the creative details. There is a connection between our challenges at home and our opportunities abroad, and that's why immediately I want to have a cabinet meeting here, so that we can address our challenges abroad. The dollars we earn and the confidence we reap also come home to create jobs, educate our children and feed the hungry, which is one of the main topics of our agenda today. I conveyed to the King our deepest appreciation for the Kingdom's unwavering support for peace and development in Southern Philippines. And in addition, the Crown Prince and I agreed to add security cooperation to the many facets of our bilateral relationship. The ties of friendship between the Filipinos and Saudis are stronger than ever. Magpapatuloy tayo sa pag-unlad, magpapatuloy ang ating pagtutulungan. Thank you. |
PGMA's Speech during a Meeting with the Filipino Community in Jeddah |
| Maraming
salamat, Secretary Pat Sto. Tomas sa iyong pagpakilala sa akin. Gusto kong batiin kayong lahat -- puwede na kayong umupo -- gusto kong batiin ang ating mga opisyal ng konsulado dito sa Jeddah sa pamumuno ni Consul General Lomondot. At gusto kong ipakilala sa inyo bagama't may ilang kilala na kayo, ang mga kasapi ng aking delegasyon. Unang-una, nakita ko ang dami niyang tagahanga sa pagpasok niya dito, si Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago; nakita ko kanina -- 'Lanao loves GMA -- eh, meron tayong mga taga-Lanao dito sa entablado: si Congressman Jun Macarambon, si Congressman Abdullah Dimaporo, si Congressman Tikbong Badelles, at saka si Gobernadora Angging Dimaporo; siyempre, meron din tayong mga taga-labas ng Lanao, ang ating congressman mula sa Mandaluyong, si Benhur aAbalos; qing canakong Cabalen manibat Pampanga, Congresswoman Anna York Bondoc; at galing doon sa Antique, si Gobernador Sally Perez. Panahon na rin siguro ipakilala ko sa inyo yung palagay kong susunod na ambahador natin dito sa Saudi kung papasa siya sa komite ni Senator Santiago sa Commission on Appointments. Si Ambassador Tony Villamor. Marami rin tayong mga opisyal na narito mula sa Pilipinas, sa aking Cabinet at ibang mga senior officials maliban pa kay Secretary Sto. Tomas. Nandito ang ating pinuno ng trade and industry, si Peter Favila; ang ating namumuno naman sa energy, si Secretary Popo Lotilla; ang press secretary natin, si Toting Bunye. Marami yatang taga-Muntinlupa dito, ah; at ang nagbukas ng NBN Saudi -- kasama ba ang Jeddah? -- si... Ang ating chairman ng NBN, si Secretary Cerge Remonde; ang ating isa pang taga-Lanao, secretary ng agrarian reform, si Secretary Nasser Pangandaman; nandito ba sa ating entablado ang ating special envoy na nag-aalaga sa inyo kapag may panganib dito sa rehiyong ito? Si Special Envoy Ambassador Roy Cimatu. Mukhang kilalang-kilala niyo si Roy, ano? Panahon ng panganib magkasama ngayon, so far. Hope to God, panahon ng peacetime . At sa inyong lahat, mga kababayan ko dito sa Jeddah, magandang umaga sa inyong lahat. Adda ilocano idtoy? Naimbag a bigat yo amin; cabalen kong capampangan, mayap aba quecongan; sa mga taga-Visayas ug Mindanao, maayong buntag kaninyong tanan; sa mga kasimanwa ni Senator Santiago, maayong aga sa inyo nga tanan; our Muslim brothers assalamu alaikom; kung merong Bicolano, marhay nga aga sa indo gabos; at sa lahat sa inyo, good morning and thank you for coming here to meet with me today. Salamat sa inyong mainit na pagtanggap sa aking delegasyon at sa inyong lingkod. Sabi nga ng mga congressmen dito sa harap, ang init-init ng inyong pagtanggap sa amin. Salamat sa pagpapakita niyong pagmamahal. Gusto ko ring ipaabot sa inyo ang magandang balita na ganun din kainit ang pagtanggap ng mga opisyal ng Saudi Arabia nung kami ay pumunta sa Riyadh. Indeed, I was welcomed with warmth and generous hospitality, and they only show how deeply important, what deep importance Saudi Arabia gives to the Philippines and the Filipinos. Napakalaking karangalan para sa akin, para sa ating delegasyon yung ganung klaseng pagtanggap mula sa mga opisyal ng Saudi Arabia mula sa kanilang kadakilaang hari, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. The kingdom has a clout in the world that shall stretch forward through the millennium at ang higit na isang milyong Pilipino na kinakatawan ninyo ngayon dito sa kaharian ay may kontribusyon sa impluwensiya ng Saudi Arabia dahil malaki kayong ginagawa sa kanilang kaunlaran. Sa aking pakikipagkwentuhan sa dakilang hari, His Majesty at sa ibang mga matataas na opisyal at kasapi ng royal family, lagi kong pinagmamalaki ang dakilang manggagawang Pilipino. Ngunit ang mas masaya doon, sila rin, lagi nilang pinagmamalaki ang manggagawang Pilipino. Talagang malaki ang papel ng manggagawang Pilipino sa pag-unlad ng ekonomiya at imprastruktura ng kaharian. Sa bawat importanteng gawain sa bansang ito -- producing oil, pagtayo ng mga lungsod, paglatag ng mga kalsada at linya ng kuryente, pag-alaga sa kalusugan -- nariyan ang mga Pilipino. Naalala ko pa kung papano nagsimula itong ofw phenomenon sa saudi. Yung unang petrodollar boom nong 1974. Siguro, marami sa inyo hindi pa pinanganak noon, noong unang petrodollar boom. Maraming pilipinong construction company ay nakakuha ng mga kontrata nung panahong yon, dala ang kanilang mga manggagawa. Sa construction. Sa kagalingang pinakita ng manggagawang pilipino pagkatapos noon, parami nang parami ang dumating dahil mismong mga kompanya at ahensiya ng saudi na ay nag-arkila ng maraming manggagawang pilipino sa iba't-ibang larangan ng hanapbuhay at ngayon mahigit isang milyon na kayo rito, pinakamalaking grupo ng overseas filipino worker sa buong mundo. Kaya naman napaka-importante ang Saudi Arabia sa foreign policy ng ating pamahalaan. Ang aking foreign policy ay may walong punto. Kaya lang masyadong mahaba kung ikukwento ko sa inyo lahat ng walong punto. Babanggitin ko na lamang ang tatlo na may malaking kinalaman dito sa Saudi: Una, ang halaga ng mga bansang O.I.C. gaya ng saudi sa matatag na determinasyon ng ating pamahalaang maghubog ng makatarungan at pangmatagalang kapayapaan sa Mindanao. Malaki ang tulong nila sa atin dito. Pangawala, ang economic diplomacy na malaki ang kinalaman sa mga araw na ito sa paghanap ng ginhawa sa krisis ng langis na may masamang epekto sa buong mundo, kasama na rin ang Pilipinas. At pangatlo, ang kapakanan siyempre ng manggagawang Pilipino. At tungkol sa problema ng langis -- oh, I'd like to acknowledge Ambassador Wali, the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the Philippines -- tungkol sa langis, i'm very happy to announce that the oil minister of Saudi Arabia has conveyed his assurances to me that in an unlikely event of a disruption in the Philippines' oil supply from other sources, Saudi Arabia is prepared to make up for the shortfalls. Yon namang tungkol sa inyo mga manggagawang Pilipino, kuwenento sa akin ng social welfare minister kahapon, social welfare minister ng Saudi Arabia, na isa kayo sa pinakamalaking grupong overseas workers, na apat na pinakamalaking grupong overseas workers dito sa Saudi, kasama yung mga taga-India, taga-Pakistan, taga- Ehipto. Ngunit ayon din sa kanya, yung social welfare minister ng Saudi, dagdag niya na ang kaibahan ng Pilipino sa Saudi doon sa tatlo ay halos lahat ng Pilipino dito, mga walumpung porsiyento ay nasa managerial at technical positions. Dagdag pa ng mga negosyanteng arabo na kasama namin sa tanghalian kahapon, para sa kanila, sa kagalingan at kabaitan, number one ang Pilipino. Kaya naman tuloy sa bagong petrodollar boom na nangyayari ngayon, na mas malaki pa kaysa sa boom noong 1974, sabi ko nga, sa pagtayo ng mga bagong lungsod, nandiyan ang pilipino, ngayon may limang bagong lungsod itatayo ang gobyerno ng saudi arabia. Unang-una doon yung king abdullah economic city. Mga siguro -- gaano katagal, forty miles lang mula dito -- malapit sa jeddah, apat na iba pang economic zone. Bawat isa sa mga lungsod na ito ay mas malaki kaysa sa buong bansa ng mga karatig-bansa ng saudi, ganun kalaki ang mga oportunidad muli. At ayon sa pinuno ng saudi arabia general investment authority na siyang namamahala dito, ang kanilang preferred human resource dito sa trillion dollar investments ay walang iba kungdi ang mga pilipino. Salamat sa magandang pangalan na nabibigay niyo sa Pilipinas sa inyong magandang trabaho. Salamat din sa pinapadala ninyong remittances sa ating bansa. Dahil sa inyo, record ang remittances itong nakaraang taon. Lumakas ng husto ang ating piso at mayroon pa tayong real estate boom dahil bumibili kayo ng mga bahay at apartment para sa inyong mga kamag-anak. Sa aking pagpupulong sa mga lider ng kaharian, laging pinag-uusapan namin kung gaano kaimportante na magkaroon ng makatarungang pagtrato sa inyo, lalo na yung ilang mga humaharap sa mga kaso sa mga korte ng Saudi. And we want to assure those who are facing cases in Saudi courts, we want to assure them and their families of full legal support. Kaya inatasan ko ang DOLE at OWWA, inatasan ko ang OWWA na kumuha ng abogado, abogadong arabo para ipagtanggol ang mga Pilipinong may kaso. Kanina, binanggit ni Consul General Lomondot yung pahayag sa kanya ng mga pinalayang mga preso dito, walo sa Jeddah at saka yung mga ipapauwi na nandoon sa OWWA center, yung mga runaway. Nagpapasalamat ako sa mga opisyal ng Saudi sa kanilang pagpatawad. Itong walong ito ay sumunod pa doon sa isangdaan na na pinatawaran nila over the past four months. At nung ako ay nakipagpulong sa kanilang dakilang hari, ang Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, humingi ako ng pagpalaya ng limampu pa. Kagabi, dumating ang sagot doon sa aking dinner doon sa bahay ng kanilang Crown Prince. Hindi sila magpapalaya ng limampu, magpapalaya sila ng 138 at kasama yung walo dito sa Jeddah. Hindi pa kasama yung 79 na ire-repatriate na nandoon sa welfare house. At isa pa, itong 138 na ito, hindi ito mga minor offenses lamang, marami dito mga major offenses din, at doon sa mga may major offenses, pati blood money ay hindi na kailangang bayaran. Ito ang pinakamagandang regalo na maiuuwi natin sa pilipinas dahil sinisikap... Ginagawa ngayon ng paper work para sinisikap na makasabay silang makauwi pag-uwi namin bukas. Sa aking pagpunta dito sa Saudi Arabia, isang pakay ang nangingibabaw sa lahat, at yan ay pagsiguro ng inyong kaligtasan at mabuting kalagayan dito sa bansang Saudi Arabia. Maaasahan ninyo ang ating administrasyon, si Secretary Pat Santo Tomas at kaniyang mga kasama sa labor department na patuloy na pangangalagaan ang inyong kapakanan. Anumang plano ang ating binabalak para sa ginhawa ng bansang Pilipinas o para sa kinabubuti ng ating foreign policy or foreign affairs, ang pangangalaga ninyo bilang overseas Filipino workers, bilang Pilipino ay laging bibigyan ng pansin at halaga. That's the least we can do, not only because you are Filipinos and that's reason enough to serve you, but because you are such a good representative of the Philippines, you are such good citizens. You help us so much not only by helping the country in which you are staying but by sending your remittances. Kayo ang pinakamagaling na ambassador ng Pilipinas sa buong mundo. Maraming salamat sa inyong malasakit sa ating bansa. Mabuhay ang dakilang manggagawang Pilipino sa Saudi Arabia! Maraming salamat sa inyong lahat. |
PGMA's
Speech during the Luncheon Meeting with the Jeddah Chamber of
Commerce and Industry |
| Thank you very much,
Secretary Peter Favila, our Minister of Trade and Industry. Mr. Chairman, members of the Philippine delegation, members of the Jeddah Business Community, ladies and gentlemen. Assalaamu allaikum! I'm deeply honored to be here today, and to be here in Saudi Arabia to begin with, making this state visit. We are here in Saudi Arabia and now in Jeddah in the name of peace and common prosperity and security of our respective nations and peoples. I've come here to acknowledge and reminisce the years that Saudi Arabia and the Philippines have spent in a lasting partnership for peace and development. Saudi Arabia has stood by the Philippines, the side of the Philippines for peace and development. And as you very well know, being the movers and shakers of the Saudi business community, more than one million overseas Filipinos help build your economy. The relationship is both reciprocal and synergistic. And we are very happy about the accession of His Majesty, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. And also, we would like to congratulate the business community of Saudi Arabia on your accession last December to the World Trade Organization. This is one of the reasons why it's a good time for us to be here in Saudi Arabia. With your accession to the World Trade Organization, the Philippines feels inspired and buoyed by the challenge of more fruitful participation in the continued affluence of your kingdom and its people. The Philippines sells consumer products to Saudi Arabia and buys a lot of oil. The trade is 20:1, the trade balance is 20 to 1 in favor of Saudi Arabia. And while Mr. Chairman has said that you would like to buy industrial goods from us, we thank you for giving us the tip, and the business community will look for the industrial goods that we should be selling to you. But we would also like to bring in more garments, more fresh and processed foods, more marine products, more tropical fruits -- we're already selling a lot of bananas and pineapples to you -- more consumer manufactures such as furniture and furnishings, beauty products and consumer electronics as well as products catering to the over one million Filipinos in the gulf states. One million here plus half a million in other gulf states because those Filipinos by themselves already constitute a major market. You know the Filipino workers. They had been here in the kingdom for the past 30 years. You know the quality of the great Filipino worker. Many of you remember how they first came here during the first petrodollar boom of the 1970s. And now that there is a new petrodollar boom, we hope that the ongoing expansion of the various sectors of the Saudi economy, including oil and gas and basic infrastructure will again present an opportunity for the Philippine construction companies who were once very active in Saudi Arabia to be back particularly in the fields of engineering, construction and engineering-related I.T.-enabled services. When the Philippine construction companies came in the last 30 years, you saw the quality of the great Filipino worker and therefore the Saudi companies kept hiring more and more Filipinos. But somehow the construction companies themselves sort of faded from the Saudi scene. Now with this great new developments in oil and gas, and then the new economic zones, I hope that this Philippine construction companies will be back again in Saudi Arabia. That is as far as activities here in Saudi Arabia are concerned. But I know that even as you're investing very heavily in Saudi Arabia, you're also investing very heavily all over the world. And it is as just as it should be because in this day and age with the current volatility of world oil prices, we know that the Saudi business community has a lot... Has billions of petrodollars, billions of profits of trade, and we hope that you can recycle these billions of petrodollars and profits from the oil trade in the form of equity investments in middle-income and low-income oil importing countries. The Philippines is a middle-income oil importing country. And we hope to be able to benefit from the investment of Saudi petrodollars in our country particularly because we like to think that the Filipinos, our great Filipino workers are contributing to the development, to the further development of the Saudi economy and making a valuable contribution to this economy. You see how good they are. There are more of them in the Philippines. So when you bring your petrodollars to invest in the Philippines, you will also be able to benefit from the competent and hardwork of the great Filipino workers. Chairman talked about the business ethic and the business environment in both our countries. Both our countries are extremely business-friendly. And it is a good time, as it is a good time for me to come here because of the WTO and the petrodollars, it's also a good time for you to bring your investments to the Philippines. The Philippines is on the verge of economic take off. Our momentum is steady despite the hikes in the oil prices because we had been able to work very hard in the last few years to manage our fiscal deficit as a result of which our target for balancing the budget is about two years ahead in accomplishment, two years ahead of our medium-term Philippine development plan. And as a result of that the Philippine peso and the Philippine Stock Exchange are outperforming most Asian currencies and markets. In fact yesterday, our businessmen gave me the good news that yesterday's stock market increase in the Philippines was the biggest single day increase in the whole history of our country. So, we are a country poised to absorb Saudi investments. Where? First of all, you are an energy power, so in our energy; second, I've seen great interest in our tourism industry; and then there is mining, information technology, agriculture, and banking and finance. We are promoting fast-growing industries where high-value jobs are most plentiful and which can use our most competitive resource, a resource you are very familiar with, the great Filipino worker. And these resources are very competitive in industries such as information technology and tourism, and this is the reason why we are a very attractive investment site today for information technology and tourism. Opportunities also lie in the energy sector, particularly we hope that there will be Saudi investment in an oil refinery in Mindanao in Southern Philippines, where half of our ten million Muslims live. Our government formally invited ARAMCO in December of 2005 to set up this oil refinery in Mindanao for the American west coast market as well as for the East Indonesian market. Because East Indonesia is closer to Mindanao than it is to the Indonesian oil fields of Aceh. The mining sector is also open for business. The country's total mineral reserves are valued at one trillion dollars making us -- with the fifth biggest mineral deposits in the world -- number five in gold, number nine in copper, and 20 percent of the world's nickel deposits. We also invite Saudi Arabia to explore build-operate-transfer projects, particularly those that would raise the production, processing and logistical capacities of Mindanao's agricultural industries, especially the Halal food industry. And we've talked earlier about tourism because the Philippine tourism industry is just bursting at the seams. Our tourism is booming. We don't have enough hotel rooms and resort rooms anymore. So, we hope you can come and help us put that up. We talked about where the tourism industry should be located or the investments with eight major destinations identified for us by a study done by Mckinsey and company where tourist like to go and where surely investments in tourism facilities will be very attractive. One of these areas is in Clark-Subic, the Clark-Subic economic corridor. And I see that some of you already have your brochures on the Clark-Subic area as a gateway. Banking, I mentioned because we have in our country an Islamic bank, the Al Amanah Bank. But inasmuch as we recognize that we are not so experienced in Islamic banking, we're very realistic about it and we want to privatize our Al Amanah Bank, and we invite bankers from Saudi Arabia to take a look at that opportunity. Indeed, with all of these various opportunities, both with Saudi investments in the Philippines, with Philippine companies coming here to participate in your construction and oil boom, with our overseas Filipinos continuing to help the Saudi economy and to help the Philippine economy through your Saudi investments, I would like to say that the Philippines is privileged to be your companion in a journey toward greater peace and prosperity for the whole world including the middle east and southeast Asia. Today is our third day in Saudi Arabia. And I am very happy to be here in Jeddah where the heart of commerce and industry is. And tomorrow, when we go back to the Philippines after a trip to the eastern province, I know that we will bring back memories of your hospitality and generosity. But we will bring back memories of your way of life. So many aspects of Arabic culture have found their way into Philippine culture, and that is why we who are cultural brothers or maybe I should call the Philippines your cultural grandchild, should have more economic ties with each others. We will bring back to the Philippines your dreams and aspirations. The King Abdullah economic city is a great symbol of your dreams and aspirations for continued economic leadership well into the new millennium. And we will bring back with us those memories not only the opportunities that those memories will bring with us but also the memories of a great kingdom moving forward in the new millennium. As we say in the Philippines, mabuhay ang Saudi Arabia! Mabuhay ang Jeddah! Long live Saudi Arabia! Long live Jeddah! Long live the ties between the Philippines and Saudi Arabia! Thank you. |
PGMA's Speech during a Meeting with the Filipino Community in Dammam |
| Maraming salamat. Maraming salamat, Secretary Pat Sto. Tomas sa iyong pagpakilala sa akin. Naririnig ba ninyo ako? Okay. Oo, puwede na kayong umupo. Hayaan ho niyo akong magsimula sa paraan na ipakilala yung aking mga kasama dito sa entablado na narito lahat para magbisita sa inyo. Unang-una yung superstar ng senado, si Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago; meron tayong limang congressman na kasama ngayong gabi: mula sa Lanao, si Congressman Tikbong Badelles, si Congressman Jun Macarambon, si Congressman Bobby Dimaporo; mula sa Mandaluyong, si Congressman Benhur Abalos; manibat qing probinsya ko in Pampanga, ing Congresswoman Anna York Bondoc. Nandito rin ang gobernador ng Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, Hovernor Zaldy Ampatuan. Ay! Wala siya. Hindi na siya sumama sa atin dito? Kasi nakikipag-meeting siya sa Organization of the Islamic Conference kaya hindi nakahabol. Ngunit meron naman tayong dalawang provincial governors: Gobernadora ng Lanao del Norte, si Angging Dimaporo; Gobernadora ng Antique, si Sally Perez. Mula sa Cabinet: nandito ang ating secretary of trade and industry, Peter Favila; nakilala na ninyo si Pat Sto. Tomas, hindi ko na papakilala; ang ating secretary naman ng energy, si Popo Lotilla; press secretary, si Toting Bunye; uy! Nasaan si Toting? Inaayos niya yung ating coverage kasi press secretary; ang chairman ng National Broadcasting Network, si Secretary Cerge Remonde. Wala rin? Ay! Mukhang yung mga media natin ay inaayos yung ating coverage. Okay, wala rin siya dito; ang ating Presidential Adviser for the Peace Process, Jess Dureza. Ay nagkasama yung tatlo, so siguro on the way pa sila. Nandito rin yung ating special envoy sa ating preparedness team for the middle east, si Ambassador Roy Cimatu; we have with us yung nag-aalaga sa inyo, tumutulong kay Pat Sto. Tomas, ang namumuno ng OWWA, si Nitoy Roque; and virtually a member of the Philippine community, he has done some... Prepared some very good meetings for the members of our party, the Saudi ambassador to the Philippines, Ambassador Wali; at kanina yung kanyang maiden appearance, nagdiskurso sa inyo, kung siya ay papasa sa komite ni Senator Miriam Santiago sa Commission on Appointments, siya ang magiging susunod na ambassador dito sa Saudi Arabia, si Ambassador Tony Villamor. Bakit siya ang napiling ambassador sa Saudi Arabia? Ayon kay Secretary Pat Sto. Tomas at yung ibang DFA officials na nagnominate sa kanya, kasi ang track record niya sa hong kong sa pag-alaga ng overseas Filipino workers ay napakaganda. So, aalagaan niya kayo. Sa inyong lahat, mga kaibigan, magandang gabi. Karing cabaleng kong capampangan mayap a bengi no karing... Dagiti kakailyak ti bangir ni mamang ko, naimbag nga rabii yo amin. O nagado nga ilocano idtoy. O, saan si Paeng? Ayun! Sa kabila, yung dating ambassador ninyo, ambassador to Saudi Arabia dati, undersecretary ngayon ng foreign affairs, si Paeng Seguis. At kahit na wala na siya noon sa Saudi Arabia kapag may problema tayong OFW dito sa middle east, kahit na pasko, valentine's day, kahit na walong buwan, nandito si Paeng seguis sa middle east para mag-alaga at magsagip sa inyo. Nabanggit ko ang aking pagbabati sa inyo at... Oh, sabi ni Pat Sto. Tomas -- sa aton mga kaigsuonan gikan sa Bisayas ug Mindanao, maayong gabii kaninyong tanan. Sa mga kasimanwa ni Senator Santiago, maayong gab-i sa inyo nga tanan. Meron bang mga bicolano dito? Dios marhay nga bangi sa indo gabos. To our muslim brothers, assalaamu alaikum pagariya -- ang sarap naman ng inyong pagtanggap sa amin, maraming salamat. So warm. Itong araw na ito nagising kami sa Riyadh, nananghalian sa Jeddah, naghapunan sa Shieba, at ngayon ang nightcap ang Filipino community dito sa Al-Khobar. Ang saya-saya. When we arrived in Riyadh two days ago, we were welcomed with warmth and generous hospitality by no less than his majesty, the custodian of the two holy mosques. A mark of the deep importance given by Saudi Arabia to the Philippines and you, the Filipinos in his kingdom. The kingdom has a clout in the world that shall stretch forward to the millennium at ang higit na isang milyong Pilipinong narito sa kaharian ay may kontribusyon sa impluwensiyang ito. Kasi naman papano sila naging napakalaking oil power kung wala naman yung mga pilipinong kagaya ng mga Pilipino sa eastern province na nagtratrabao sa kanilang oil and gas fields and related businesses. Kaya naman sa aking pagkekuwento sa dakilang hari at ibang mataas na opisyal ng pamahalaan ng saudi lagi kong ipinagmamalaki ang dakilang manggagawang Pilipino. Pero siguro aasahan naman niyo sa akin yon. Ang mas magandang balita ko sa inyo yung mga taga-saudi pang opisyales sila rin laging pinagmamalaki kayo. Kinikilala nila ang malaking papel ninyo sa pag-unlad ng ekonomiya at imprastruktura ng kaharian. Sa bawat importanteng gawain maging sa center sa Riyadh, sa west sa Jeddah, sa east dito sa Shieba at Al-Khobar, sa lahat ng gawaing importante dito, sino nagpro-produce ng oil? Mga manggagawang Pilipino. Doon sa Jumail City... Juvail, alam niyo kasi sino ang nagtayo? Pilipino rin. Yung paglatag ng mga kalsada, mga linya ng kuryente, sino nagtayo? Pilipino. Yung mga nag-aalaga ng kalusugan, yung nag medical mission diyaan kanina, sino ang pinaka well and demanded na mga nurses dito sa Saudi Arabia? Mga Pilipino. Sino ang general manager ng Meridien Hotel sa Al-Khobar? Pilipino. Oh, Mr. Sandoval, please stand up and be recognized. Okey. Batang-bata pa si Mr. Sandoval hindi pa niya siguro... Hindi pa siguro siya panganak nung nagsimula itong phenomenon ng OFW dito. Pero ako panganak na ako noon kaya maikekuwento ko sa ilan sa inyo. Panahon noon nung unang petrodollar boom, 1974, dahil tinatayo yung mga oil fields -- thank you, thank you. Uy! Salamat kaya tuloy nanalo ako dito sa Saudi nung nakaraang halalan, thank you. Wala pa kayo nung 1974, ano? Wala pa. Noong 1974, yung unang mga pumunta dito mga company, construction company dahil may construction boom sa oil and gas fields sa mga bagong city. Pero siyempre Filipino construction company, dala ang mga Filipino construction workers. Nakita ng mga taga-Saudi ang galing-galing pala kaya sila na mismong mga company ng Saudi, sila na mismo ang nag-hire ng Pilipino. Mga ahensya ng pamahalaan, sila na mismo ang kumuha ng mga manggagawang Pilipino hanggang sa ngayon isang milyong mahigit na ang Pilipino dito sa bansang Saudi Arabia. Itong grupo ninyo, itong isang milyong Pilipino mahigit sa saudi arabia ang pinakamalaking overseas contract worker community ng pilipinas sa buong mundo. Ang dami-dami, padami nang padami ang pilipino, at sa aking paglibot sa Riyadh, sa Jeddah, sa Shieba at dito nakikita ko ang dami pa nilang hinahanap na Filipino workers. Kaya naman napakaimportante ang Saudi Arabia sa foreign policy ng ating pamahalaan. Ang foreign policy natin sa aking administrasyon ay may walong punto -- hindi ko na ikekuwento yung walong punto dahil mahaba yon -- ngunit babanggitin ko ang tatlong bagay nitong foreign policy na ito na malaki ang kinalaman dito sa Saudi Arabia: Una sa lahat, ang halaga ng bansang O.I.C. -- na ang headquarters nga ay nandito sa Saudi -- sa matatag na determinasyon ng ating pamahalaan na mahubog na makatarungan at pangmatagalang kapayapaan sa Mindanao. Kaya nga si Zaldy Ampatuan, ang governor ng Autonomous Region, ang kanyang pakay talaga doon sa Jeddah ay makipag-usap sa O.I.C.; pangalawa, ang economic diplomacy. At napakaimportante ang economic diplomacy natin ngayon dito sa Saudi. Malaki ang kinalaman sa paghanap ng ginhawa sa krisis ng langis na may masamang epekto sa buong mundo kasama na ang Pilipinas; at pangatlo, siyempre ang kapakanan ng dakilang manggagawang Pilipino. Ako'y nasisiyahan na makapunta rito ngayon. Ilang beses na akong nagpunta sa Saudi. The first time, turista, Jeddah. The second time, senador, Jeddah and Riyadh. Ngayon bilang pangulo kailangan pumunta ako lalo na sa panahong ito, kailangang pumunta ako sa sentro ng industriya ng oil and gas dito sa buong mundo walang iba kung hindi ang Al-Khobar. Napakaimportante ito. At kanina nung ako ay sumasakay sa eroplano ng Saudi Aramco mula sa Jeddah patungo sa Shieba, si Secretary Lotilla at saka si Secretary Sto. Tomas pinakita nila sa akin ang mensahe mula sa Minister of Oil, at ano ang sabi ng oil minister? He conveyed his assurances that in an unlikely event of a destruction in the Philippine oil supply from other sources, Saudi Arabia is prepared to make up for shortfalls. Una sa lahat, dahil may investment sila sa Pilipinas, yung Petron. At pangalawa, alang-alang naman sa -- Al-Khobar at doon lamang sa Saudi Aramco tatlong libo na ang nagtratrabaho sa payroll sa mga kontratista nila sa alam nila 50,000 at sa buong multiplier effect dito sa eastern province 400,000 -- siyempre naman alang-alang sa inyo, sa kanilang investments sa Pilipinas, at ang ating pagbisita at pakikipag-ugnay dito sa dakilang hari ng Saudi Arabia, siyempre naman ay hindi nila pababayaan ang Pilipinas. Isa kayo sa apat na pinakamalaking grupo ng overseas workers dito sa Saudi. Yung tatlo: India, Pakistan, Ehipto. Ang nagsabi sa akin ng mga statistics na ito ay yung kanilang Minister of Social Welfare dahil siya yung aking Cabinet-in- attendance, yung escort ko kung saan-saan ako pumunta doon sa Riyadh. Ang dagdag naman ng minister na yon, ang kaibahan ng Pilipino sa ibang mga overseas workers community ay halos lahat ng Pilipino, mga walumpung porsiyento ay nasa managerial at technical positions. Yon ang kuwento sa akin sa Riyadh. Pagpunta ko sa Jeddah may dinagdag yung mga negosyanteng arabo na kasama sa tanghalian, sabi nila, number one ang Pilipino sa kagalingan at kabaitan. Doon sa malapit sa Jeddah meron ding bagong petrodollar boom, mas malaki pa kaysa sa petrodollar boom nung 1974. Ano ito? Yung pagtayo ng king abdullah economic city na ilang beses mas malaki pa kaysa sa Juvail at mas malaki pa kaysa doon sa mga bansang sa kapaligid dito. At isa lang yon, meron pang apat na economic zone na gagawin sila, bawat isa mas malaki kaysa sa ibang bansa na nakapaligid sa kanila. At ito ay kung meron sa inyong -- kaya lang ang babata ninyo lahat -- kung may nakakaalala sa inyo yung boom nung 1974, ito ay many times bigger than that boom. At ayon sa pinuno ng Saudi Arabia General Investment Authority na kausap ko sa briefing kahapon dito sa boom na ito, ang Pilipino ang kanilang preferred human resource. Matataas ang kita ng mga Pilipino dito sa Saudi Arabia, kaya nagpapasalamat ako sa pinapadala niyong remittances sa ating bansa. Dahil sa inyo, ang lakas-lakas ng ating piso ngayon. Dahil sa inyo, ang lakas-lakas ng ating real estate. Bumibili kayo ng mga bahay para sa inyong mga kamag-anak kaya lumalakas ang ating real estate. At ito ay talagang binibigyan ng pag-iisip ang mga official ng mga pinunong bansa papano kayo matulungan dito. Sa aking pagpulong sa mga leader ng kaharian, laging pinag-uusapan namin kung gaano ka importante ang makatarungang pagtrato, makatarungang pagtrato sa inyo lalo na yung ilang mga humaharap sa mga kaso sa korte sa Saudi. Ang magagawa lamang namin ay isigurado sa kanila at mga pamilya nila ang buong suporta, full legal support. Kaya inatasan ko si Nitoy Roque ng OWWA na kumuha ng abogadong Arabo para ipagtanggol ang mga Pilipinong may kaso. Nagpapasalamat ako sa mga official ng Saudi kasi nung unang pupunta ako dito sana, di ba Pat? Kasi pupunta sana ako dito nung earlier. Actually, ilang beses na kasi na-postpone ito. At meron silang mga pinatawad na mga nasa preso, mga isang daan. Eh na-postpone yung biyahe, sabi ko, huwag naman nating i-postpone yung kanilang release. So, ri-nelease na sila over the last four months. Pagpunta ko doon sa... Pagbisita sa dakilang hari, nagpasalamat ako. Tapos sabi ko, kung pwede humingi ako... Humingi ako na kung pwede dagdagan pa ng limampu. Kagabi naman sa dinner na binigay ng Crown Prince dumating yung sagot. Sabi nila hindi sila magpapalaya ng limampu, magpapalaya sila ng 138. At itong mga 138 hindi mga minor offenses lamang, mga major offenses, yung may dalang blood money, pero pati yung blood money ay hindi na raw kailangang bayaran. Pagdating ko sa Jeddah kwenento ko yon, pagkatapos ng aking diskurso linapitan ako ni Ambassador Wali, sabi niya hindi magpapalaya ng 138, magpapalaya ng mahigit 200. Kasi pala mula nung pagpupulong two nights ago, overtime nagtratrabaho yung mga official ng kanilang pamahalaan, hinahanap kung nasaan-saan sa ibat-ibang preso yung mga Pilipino kaya hinahabol para kung matapos ang papeles nila, bukas pag-uwi ko uuwi na rin sila. Ako ay nasisiyahan sa regalong ito dahil sa aking pagpunta dito sa Saudi isang pakay ang nangingibabaw sa lahat at yan ay pagseguro sa inyong kaligtasan at mabuting kalagayan dito sa kaharian ng Saudi Arabia. Maaasahan ninyo ang aking administrasyon. Maasahan niyo si Pat Sto. Tomas. Maasahan ninyo si Nitoy Roque. Maasahan ninyo ang embahada na patuloy na pangangalagaan ang inyong kapakanan. Anumang plano ang ating binabalak sa kinagiginhawa ng bansang Pilipinas o para sa kinabubuti ng ating foreign affairs, ang pangangailangan ninyo na ating mga overseas filipino workers ay laging bibigyan ng pansin at halaga. Kaya ako'y nasisihayan sa pagkakataon na makapagbisita dito nga sa sentro ng oil and gas industry sa buong mundo para makilala ko yung mga manggagawa, dakilang manggagawang Pilipino na nagpapatakbo, gumagawa ng mahihirap na technical work, at nagbibigay ng iba't-ibang mga serbisyo dito sa oil and gas industry and related services including health services, hotel services na Pilipino. Pagpunta ko rito nung nakilala ko yung general manager, tapos nakita ko kayo lahat, sabi ko, ang galing-galing ng Pilipino. Kaya naman sa pagbisita namin sa Council of Chambers of Commerce doon sa Riyadh, sa pagbisita namin sa Jeddah Chamber of Commerce, sa pagpupulong sa ilang mga indibidwal na malalaking mga negosyante talagang handang-handa sila mag-invest sa Pilipinas. Bakit? Kasi kinikilala nila kung ganun kagaling ang Pilipino na nandito sa Saudi Arabia, there must be more where you came from. Kaya narito kami para ipaalam sa kanila kung saan sila dapat mag-invest -- tourism, oil refinery, agriculture, information technology, mining, banking -- pero ang pinaka come on doon kung bakit sila sumasagot ng oo sa aming pag-alok ay kayo. Kaya sa ibabaw ng remittance ninyo, sa ibabaw ng magandang reputasyon na binibigay ninyo, siguro dapat magpasalamat din kayo kasi kayo ang pinakamagaling na investment promoters at embahador ng Pilipinas sa Saudi Arabia. Maraming salamat sa inyong lahat. |
