President Rodrigo Duterte thanked the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) governments for their assistance to the Philippines’ COVID-19 pandemic response, as he has reaffirmed the Philippines’ commitment to further strengthen bilateral ties with the GCC member-countries, Malacanang said in a statement.
“President Duterte reaffirmed the Philippines’ commitment to further strengthen bilateral affairs with GCC nations particularly the Sultanate of Oman, State of Qatar, State of Kuwait, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates,” the statement said.
The President expressed his gratitude to the foreign governments “for their assistance to the Philippines’ pandemic response efforts and in the repatriation of Filipino nationals affected by the COVID-19 crisis.” Vito Barcelo
As the GCC countries implement their respective reform initiatives, the president said that the Philippines is looking forward to working closely with them.
“I hope that these reforms succeed and evolve to encompass the more vulnerable sectors in the GCC labor market, particularly household service workers,” the president was quoted as saying during the joint courtesy call of the ambassadors on Wednesday.
The Middle East is a major market for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). According to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration
(POEA), the top two destinations for OFWs are KSA and UAE.
“The Philippines is keenly interested in working with our GCC partners to realize our shared aspiration for a better future for all our peoples,” Duterte added.
Meanwhile, the GCC ambassadors expressed appreciation for the opportunity to meet and discuss with the President bilateral issues of mutual interest, including pandemic cooperation, labor reform, migration and development, regional peace and security, climate change, and energy.